IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


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23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  NY.  14580 

(716)  872-4503 


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CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/ICMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microreproductions  /  Institut  canadien  de  microreproductions  historiques 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes/Notes  techniques  et  bibliographiques 


The  Institute  has  attempted  to  obtain  the  best 
original  copy  available  for  filming.  Features  of  this 
copy  which  may  be  bibliographically  unique, 
which  may  alter  any  of  the  images  in  the 
reproduction,  or  which  may  significantly  change 
the  usual  method  of  filming,  are  checked  below. 


L'Institut  a  microfilm^  le  meilleur  exemplaire 
qu'il  lui  a  6t6  possible  de  se  procurer.  Les  details 
de  cet  exemplaire  qui  sont  peutdtre  uniques  du 
point  de  vue  bibliographique,  qui  peuvent  modifier 
une  image  reproduite,  ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une 
modification  dans  la  mdthode  normale  de  filmage 
sorJ-  indiqu^s  ci-dessous. 


□ 

□ 
□ 
□ 
n 

□ 


D 


Coloured  covers/ 
Couverture  de  couleur 

Covers  damaged/ 
Couverture  endommagee 

Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Couverture  restaur6e  et/ou  pellicul^e 

Cover  title  missing/ 

Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 

Coloured  maps/ 

Cartes  g^ographiques  en  couleur 

Coloured  ink  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)/ 
Encre  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 

Coloured  plates  and/or  illustrations/ 
Planches  et/ou  illustrations  en  couleur 

Bound  with  other  material/ 
Relie  avec  d'autres  documents 

Tight  binding  may  cause  shadows  or  distortion 
along  interior  margin/ 

La  reliure  serree  peut  causer  de  I'ombre  ou  de  la 
distortion  le  long  de  la  marge  intdrieure 

Blank  leaves  added  during  restoration  may 
appear  within  the  text.  Whenever  possible,  these 
have  been  omitted  from  filming/ 
II  se  peut  que  certaines  pages  blanches  ajout^es 
lors  d'une  restauration  apparaissent  dans  le  texte, 
mais,  lorsque  cela  6tait  possible,  ces  pages  n'ont 
pas  6X6  filmdes. 


D 

D 
D 

n 
n 

D 
D 
D 

n 


Coloured  pages/ 
Pages  de  couleur 

Pages  damaged/ 
Pages  endommagdes 

Pages  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Pages  restaurdes  et/ou  pellicul^es 

Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 
Pages  d^color^es,  tachet6es  ou  piquees 

Pages  detached/ 
Pages  detach^es 

Showthrough/ 
Transparence 

Quality  of  print  varies/ 
Qualite  in^gale  de  I'irnpression 

Includes  supplementary  material/ 
Comprend  du  materiel  supplementaire 

Only  edition  available/ 
Seule  Edition  disponible 

Pages  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata 
slips,  tissues,  etc.,  have  been  refilmed  to 
ensure  the  best  possible  image/ 
Les  pages  totalement  ou  partiellen.ent 
obscurcies  par  un  feuillet  d'errata,  une  pelure, 
etc.,  ont  6X6  filmdes  S  nouveaii  de  facon  i 
obtenir  la  meilleure  image  possible. 


D 


Additional  comments;/ 
Commentaires  suppl^mentaires; 


This  item  is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 

Ce  document  est  film^  au  taux  de  reduction  indiqud  ci-dessous. 


lOX 

14X 

18X 

22X 

26X 

30X 

J 

12X 


16X 


20X 


24X 


28X 


32X 


lire 

details 
les  du 
modifier 
ler  une 
filmage 


les 


The  copy  filnied  here  has  been  reproduced  thanks 
to  the  generosity  of: 

National  Library  of  Canada 


The  images  appearing  here  are  the  best  quality 
possible  considering  the  condition  and  legibility 
of  the  original  copy  and  in  keeping  with  the 
filming  contract  specifications. 


Original  copies  in  printed  paper  covers  are  filmed 
beginning  with  the  front  cover  and  ending  on 
the  last  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, or  the  back  cover  when  appropriate.  All 
other  original  copies  are  filmed  beginning  on  the 
first  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, and  ending  on  the  last  page  with  a  printed 
or  illustrated  impression. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  —^(meaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  the  symbol  V  (meaning  "END"), 
whichever  applies. 


L'exemplaire  film6  fut  reproduit  grace  d  la 
g6n6rosit6  de: 

Bibliothdque  nationale  du  Canada 


Les  images  suivantes  ont  6t6  reproduites  avec  le 
plus  grand  soin,  compte  tenu  de  la  condition  et 
de  la  nettetd  de  l'exemplaire  film^,  et  en 
conformity  avec  les  conditions  du  contrat  de 
filmage. 

Les  exemplaires  originaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
papier  est  imprimde  sont  filmds  en  commenpant 
par  le  premier  plat  et  en  terminant  soit  par  la 
dernidre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration,  soit  par  le  second 
plat,  selon  le  cas.  Tous  les  autres  exemplaires 
originaux  sont  film6s  en  commenpant  par  la 
premidre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration  et  en  terminant  par 
la  dernidre  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 

Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparaitra  sur  la 
dernidre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symbole  — »>  signifie  "A  SUIVRE",  le 
symbole  V  signifie  "FIN". 


Maps,  plates,  charts,  etc.,  may  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  in  one  exposure  are  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  §tre 
filmds  d  des  taux  de  reduction  diffdrents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  etre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  cliche,  il  est  film6  d  partir 
de  Tangle  sup6rieur  gauche,  de  gauche  d  droite, 
et4le  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  ndcessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  m^thode. 


'  errata 
d  to 


e  pelure, 
:on  ci 


n 

32X 


1 

2 

3 

1 

2 

3 

4 

S 

e 

c 


THE 


BRITISH  NORTHWEST 


Pen  and  Sun  Sketches 


IN   THE 


CANADIAN  WHEAT  LANDS, 


The  Illustrations  from  Photographs   taken  upon 

the  Spot. 


ST.  PAUL: 

TIIK  riO\EF.I{  I'RKSS  IMJBLISniNa  CO. 

1882. 


%^'.''-i  ^  »j>« 


*    ft 


V^- 


CONTENTS. 


T 


i  r 


A  PRAIRIE  EMPIRE 


Page. 
I 


Winnipeg,  Manitoba,  and  Its  Changed  Relations  —  The  Gate- 
way to  a  Newly  Opened  World  —  A  Political  and  Commercial 
Awakening — Extent  and  Character  of  the  Canadian  Domin- 
ions in  the  Northwest  —  250.(K)(),()oo  Acres  of  the  Best  Wheat 
Lands  in  the  World,  Unoccupied  and  Idle — Testimony  as  to 
Climate  and  Fertility  of  Soil  —  Mineral  Resources  —  Rivers 
and  Lakes. 


II 


THE  PRAIRIE  PROVINCE 

Manitoba  and  Its  Capital  —  Their  Romantic  History  and  Magic 
New  Growth — Winnipeg's  Population  Multiplied  Ten-Fold  in 
Ten  Years  — Impressions  of  the  New  City  —  Emigration,  Pres- 
ent and  Future  —  The  First  Wash  of  the  Human  Wave  — 
The  Growth  of  a  Political  State  Out  of  a  Trade  Colony —The 
Hudson  Bav  Companv — Its  Past  and   Present. 


lO 


III 


f^'-s 


DOWN  LAKE  WINNIPEG 

Six  Hundred  Miles  in  a  Hudson  Bay  Steamer  — The  Lower 
Red  River  and  Its  Swamps— Lake  Winnipeg,  Its  Shores  and 
Waters— Running  the  Grand  Rapid  of  the  Saskatchewan  — 
The  Paradise  of  Pot  Fishermen  — A  Characteristic  Hudson 
Bay  Trading  Post. 


iS 


11 


CON  lENTS. 


IV. 


in*  LAKE  WINNIPEG 


I'AGE. 


The   Saskatchewan   River  and  Valley  and  It.  Resources  -  Ag. 
ncultural    Wonders   of    the    Pe-icc    R\vn,-    r^      .  »,■ 

Wc-ilth  nf  n, .  r-  o     ,  Conntrv— Mineral 

ties  or  ^h     n   '-'T'-^^^^^'^'^^-'^^'^^-'-^'i- Manufacturing  Capahii- 
•  ties  of    he  Grand  Rapid -Nelson  River.  Its  Past  and  iCtu  re 

r.  e     '^aT  '''''\''r'  -  ^"-P^  -  The  East  Side  ^f 
Lake -Red  R.ver  and  Its  Cultivated  Shores  Above  Selkirk. 


ZS 


V. 


THE  LAKE  OF  THE  WOODS 

A  Region  of  Rocks,  Woods  and  Waters  _ 
Acn 


36 


VI. 


THE  CANADL\N  PACIFIC  RAILWAY 


.',    i.ncnng  in  the  Porination  of  the  Mnn(-,-<.oi   c      j- 
-Terms  of  the  Contract  with  the  Governme  7     O      '         "'" 
of  the  Company  and  Beginning  of  the  Wo":  ""  ^'^"""^'^^-^ 


47 


M 


VII. 

THE  PRAIRIE  JOURNEY  BEGUN 

By  Rail  Westward  to  the  End  of  the  Track -Th. 


:)^ 


It 


CONTENTS. 


•  •  • 

111 


'.\C.E. 


VI  II. 


THE  UPPER  ASSINMBOIXE  VALLEY 


I'AUK. 


'riic  Magic  Town  ol"  IJraiulon  —  A  City  Born  on  tlio  I'lairic  in 
a  NiglU  —  Its  Appearance  at  Eight  Weeks  Old  —  Tlie  Ride  up 
the  Valley  to  Fort  Ellice  —  Soil,  Mosquitoes,  and  Freighters' 
Carts  —  Eliice  and  Its  Beautiful  Situation  —  Future  Growth 
of  Timber  on  the   I'r.iiries  —  Settlements  North. of  the  River. 


IX 


64 


36 


THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  QU  'APPELLE      - 

Through  Storm  and  Desert,  to  a  Sunny  Prairie  Paradise  — 
A  Wet  Day  and  Night  — A  Hundred  Miles  of  Rich  Farming 
Land  Waiting  for  tiie  Plow — The  Post  at  Qii 'Appelle — A 
Beautiful  Valley  and  Rosary  of  Sparkling  Lakes  —  Sitting 
Bull's  Last  Camp. 


73 


X 


47 


•V* 


RETROGRADE  MOVEMENTS     -         -        - 

The  Return  Journey  to  Winnipeg  —  A  Startling  and  Deadly 
Storm  —  Hearsay  Evidence  as  to  Parts  of  the  Prairie  Empire 
not  Personally  Visited — The  Future  Cattle  Ranges  of  Canada 
—  An  Important  Announcement  —  Branch  Lines  to  be  Sur- 
veyed by  the  Syndicate,  Opening  the  Saskatchewan  Valley 
and  the  Souris  Coal   Fields — Promise  (jf  the  Latter. 


79 


_^.^^^^r 


The  following  clinpters  are  recast,  witli  onlv  the  most  obviously  neces- 
sary changes,  from  a  series  of  letters  printed  in  the  Pioneer  Press 
ne\vs|iaper  of  St.  Paul.  Minnesota,  in  tlie  midsummer  of  iSSi.  Their 
only  aim  is  to  reflect  some  of  the  impressions  crowded  into  a  hurried 
journey,  and  they  make  no  claim  to  a  greater  degree  of  historical  and 
scientific  accuracy,  or  to  profounder  reflection,  than  it  is  customary  to 
look  for  in  the  columns  of  a  daily  journal.  The  illustrations  are  from 
photographs  laken  by  Mr.  F.  Jav  llaynes,  of  Fargo.  Dakota,  who  accom- 
panied the  writer  with  a  field  camera  upon  the  excursions  described.  It 
is  proper  to  remark  that  the  whole  trip  wa.s  made  in  five  weeks. 

St.  Pai'l,  August,  iSSi. 


!  5 

!  \ 

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!  i 


i> 


K^ 


■>' 


The  liritisli  Nortliwest. 


I. 


A   IMIAIRIE  EMPIRE. 


I  .' 


WINNIPEG,  MANITOBA,  AND  ITS  CHANGED  RELATIONS  —  THE  CJATEWAY  TO 
A  NEWLY  OPENED  WORLD  —  A  POLITICAL  AN1>  COMMERCIAL  AWAKE- 
NING—EXTENT AND  CHARACTER  OF  THE  CANADIAN  DOMINIONS  IN 
THE  NORTHWEST  —  250,(X)0.0<X)  ACRES  OF  THE  UEST  WHEAT  LANDS  IN 
THE  WORLD  UNOCCUPIED  AND  IDLE  -  TESTIMONY  AS  TO  CLIMATE  AND 
FERTILITY  OF    SOIL  —  MINERAL   RESOURCES  —  RIVERS  AND  LAKES. 

The  queer  old  capital  of  Lord  .Selkirk's  queer  old  Scotch  eol- 
oiiy  has  changed  most  miraculously  in  its  relations  to  the  universe 
since  the  Canadian  confederation  planted  a  political  state  in  the 
heai't  of  the  old  nortinvestern  wilderness,  and  the  Canadian 
Pacific  opened  a  new  commercial  empire  to  settlement  and 
improvement.  Ten  years  ago  Winnipeg  was  the  end  of  the 
settled  domain  in  the  northwest,  the  ultima  thule  of  civilization 
— the  jumping  off  place  of  emigration.  To-day  it  is  the  gateway 
of  a  new  empire,  vaster,  richer  and  more  varied  than  any  ever 
opened  to  the  human  race  by  a  single  step  of  political  or  commer- 
cial progress  since  the  landing  of  the  first  English  colonists  upon 
the  Atlantic  coast.  From  a  jumping  otV  place  Winnipeg  has  l)t.'- 
come  a  starting  point.  From  the  end  of  civilization,  Winnipeg 
has  become  the  beginning  of  a  new  civilization  ;  the  political  gate- 
way and  the  commercial  entrepot  of  a  new  empire  vaster  than  the 
American  republic  in  the  first  half  century  of  its  existence,  and 
riper  for  settlement  than  any   unoccupied   domain  in  the  western 


I!! 


il  I 


i  I 

i  } 


2 


jin:  iiiiri  isii   nmij  i  iiwicsr. 


world.  From  :i  ciil-dc-sao  of  f  lavcl.  ;i  Mind  ;dlcy  of  pro.i;rcs.s,  W'iii- 
ni|H'jjr  lias  Middt'idy  hccainc  an  open  window  tliroiijili  which  one 
l()<.ks.  ,111  opcMi  door  tliron^h  wiiich  one  onteis  a  domain  ol  iin- 
(hcamcd  of  lieantv  and  liTldity.  covcrinj,' nearly  a  (juarter  ol  the 
North  American  continent,  and  end)racin<,'  witliin  its  vast  expanse 
prairies  wide  and  rich  enon.^h  to  \  ield  the  <fraiii  sn[)ply  of  the 
worhl ;  maj^niidcent  rivers,  tlie  lon^a-st  on  the  continent  after  the 
Mississippi  and  Missouri,  laru^e  and  tleep  enouji^li  to  lloat  navies, 
and  stores  of  mineral  wealtii  whose  nndeveloped  capabilities  the 
l)oldest  imaj^nnation  almost  hesitate  to  grasp.  In  this  new  rela- 
tion, Winnipe;;-  and  Province  of  Manitoba,  w  ilh  all  their  iiistoric 
interest  and  wonders  of  fresh,  new  ,u;rowth,  shrink  under  the  eyes 
of  the  beholder  in  comparison  with  the  \ast  regions  stretching 
out  before  him  in  the  north  and  west.  The  tra\eler  of  ten  years 
ago  saw  VVin.'upeg  and  the  li^;d  Kiver  settlements  with  a  certain 
curious  interest,  and  turned  his  back  upon  them,  blind  to  the 
wide  domain  of  t'uture  em]iire  l)eyond,  hidden  from  him  in  the 
darkness  of  semi-barbarism  and  baleful  trade  monopoly.  The 
traveler  of  to-da\  almost  overlooks  Winnijieg  ami  the  Red  River 
settlements,  albeit  grown  ten  ibid  in  area  and  j)opulation,  as  well 
as  in  political  stature,  in  his  astcjnished  contemplation  of  the  new 
empire  beyond,  which  the  jiolitical  and  commercial  ])rogress  of 
the  same  ten  vears  has  redeemed  iVom  barbarism  ami  opened  as 
homes  to  the  swarming  millions  from  the  older  parts  f)f  the  earth. 
IvCt  me  follow  this  natural  imj)ulse  and  posti^one  tlie  usual 
tourists'  observations  upon  Winnipeg  and  the  surroundings  imtil 
1  try  to  give  you  some  feel)le  and  fragmentary  notion  of  the  New 
Northwest,  to  which  it  is  the  gatevvav. 

The  schoolboys'  atlas  gives  the  political  boundaries  of  British 
America,  but  these  are  by  no  means  those  of  the  New  North- 
west, in  the  sense  of  the  settler  and  hus])andman.  Nature  has 
drawn  narrower  bounds  than  surveyors  and  treaty  makers,  and 
the  habitable  territory  of  Western  British  America,  vast  as  it  is, 
is  hardly  half  of  the  land  marked  upon  the  maps.  Beginning 
with  the  height  of  land  north  of  the  west  end  of  Lake  Superior, 
and  stretching  away  northwestward  to  the  Arctic  ocean  are  the 
low  ranges  of  the  westward  extension  of  the  Laurentian  hills,  the 
oldest  rocl:  exposure  in  America.  West  of  these,  in  a  wide 
Silurian  outcrop,  lie  also,  in  a  northwestern  chain,  the  great  lakes 


^0 


iiiK  iiuinsii  Nou  rii\vi;sr. 


3 


t; 


of  Biitisli  America — hnkc  of  the  Woods.  WiiiMipi'jf.  Athal):iska 
ami  ( jrcat  Slave  Lake.  'I'lie  .sliores  of  these  lakes  and  a  sliip  of 
eomitiN  to  the  westward  of  them,  wideiiiiij;'  rapidly  to  the  iioilli, 
are  co\eied  witli  iid)ospitai)le  rocks,  desolate  Atclic  forests  and 
fathomless  swamps.  Tiiis  rej^ioii  is  most  familiar  iioitli  of  Lake 
Superior  and  on  the  sliores  of  I^ake  Winnipeg;',  hut  it  has  heen 
traced  to  Churchill  livei'.  and  certainly  preser\'es  the  same  char- 
acter to  Athabaska  and  l)eyond.  Ihit  it  torins  the  boundary  east- 
ward of  a  re<;ion  of  .sjMeadiiiL;-  prairies  ov  rollinj;'  plains,  and 
wooded  river  valleys,  stretchint^  froni  the  Lake  of  the  Woods 
1.200  miles  west  to  the  toot  of  tlie  Rockv  Mountains,  and  from 
the  international  bonndar}'  as  far  north  as  Peace  River  valley, 
48  ncjrth  lalituile.  Throughout  this  whole  region  the  rocks 
are  Cretaceous,  and  most  of  the  surface  alluvial  (le[)osil. 
Tile  southeastern  part  has  sutlered  extensive  de..  .  taticn  by  ice, 
leaving  isolated  escarpments,  like  the  Pembina.  Duck.  Riding 
antl  Turtle  Mountains,  and  making  place  for  nuirvelously  fertile 
and  inexhaustible  alluvial  prairies  of  the  Red  and  Assinniboinc 
valle\s.  West  of  these  and  between  the  international  boundaiy 
and  the  line  of  tlie  C^u 'Appelle  and  South  Saskatclunvan,  the 
plains  are  higher  and  dryer,  and,  like  tliose  of  the  Missouri 
vallev,  in  the  United  States,  have  been  called  arid  and  uniidiab- 
itable.  ]>ut  the  enterprising  farmeis  along  tlie  line  (jf  the  North- 
ern Pacific  Railroad  are  raising  spknulid  wheat  in  the  country 
pronounced  by  Gen.  ILizen.  Prof.  Powell  and  Prof.  Henry,  unfit 
to  sustain  animal  or  vegetalile  life,  and  it  will  do  to  suspend 
judgment  upon  the  fitness  of  the  arid  plains  north  of  the  boundary 
to  sustain  a  population  until  the  jjresent  promising  experiment  is 
concluded  in  the  south.  Certainly  the  northern  section  enjoys  the 
advaiitiige  of  a  lower  elevation  and  more  ready  accessibility  to 
the  warm  and  moisture-bearing  winds  from  the  Pacific. 

There  is  no  room  for  doubt  of  the  character  of  the  belt  of 
country  north  of  this.  It  is  the  fertile  belt  of  the  North  Saskatch- 
ewan, stretching  from  the  Red  Ri\er  country  to  the  foot  of  the 
Rockv  Mountains,  embracing  250.000.000  acres  of  rich  agricul- 
tural lands,  and  capable  of  sustaining  a  population  of  millions  of 
people.  North  of  the  vSaskatchewan  belt  is  the  wooded  coimtry, 
extending  back  to  the  chain  oi'  northern  lakes,  unfit  for  cultiva- 
tion, but  capable  of  supplying  timber  for  a   continent.     i\t  its 


'^* 


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Till';  luiiTisii  xoK  ^lI\v^;s^ 


^^X'St  extremity  the  tortile  belt  of  the  Saskatciiewan  spreads  out 
both  north  and  south,  covering'  on  the  one  side  the  toot  hills  of  th.e 
Rocky  Mountains,  and  extendinj^  on  the  othe.',  after  an  interval 
of  rouuh  countrv  about  the  head  waters  of  the  Athabaska,  into  die 


fertil 


e  valley 


)f  the   Peace  River.     This   Peace   River  country  is 


the  wonder  of  the  northwest.  It  has  rarely  been  visited  except 
by  missionaries  and  traxelers,  but  .Vrchbishop  Tache,  of  St.  Bon- 
iface, has  boine  testimony  to  its  fertility,  and  the  narration  of 
Lord  Milton  and  Dr.  Cheadle,  who  penetratetl  the  Rocky  Mount- 
ains, through  the  channel  cut  by  the  Peace,  testifies  to  the  fertility 
of  the  lower  as  well  as  the  perils  of  the  upper  river.     The  Peace 


is  a   magnincen 


t    otl 


d  swift. 


rable  for 


ream,  '^•.•c;;iu,  deep  and  swiit.  navigaoie 
its  entire  lengtli  west  of  the  mountains,  that  breaks  through 
tlie  rocky  chain  about  56  north  latitude,  and  flows  northeast 
to  the  Athabaska.  The  mild  climate  and  fertile  soil  of  its  valley 
are  among  the  favorite  traditions  of  the  northwest.  It  is  directly 
exposed  to  the  warm  winds  of  the  Paciiic  that  blow  westward 
through  the  passes  of  the  mountains  and  elevate  the  mean  annual 
temperature  of  the  whole  region  at  the  foot  of  tlie  Rockies.  The 
climate  is  said  to  be  as  mild,  and  the  seasons  as  early  as  in  the 
tlie  Red  River  vallev.  Vegetation  is  said  to  l)e  well  achanced 
there  by  the  middle  of  Mav.  The  best  sample  of  wheat  I  was 
shown  in  Winnipeg,  was  some  Scotch  Fife  tVom  Fort  Vermillion, 
on  the  Peace  River,  at  nearly  60^  nortli  latitude,  1.500  miles 
northwest  from  Fort  Garry.  It  was  equal  in  appearance  with 
Minnesota  hard,  and  weighed  sixty-eight  pounds  to  the  bushel. 

This  country,  whose  outlines  I  have  roughly  sketched,  is  nearly 
equal  in  extent  to  the  United  States  west  of  the  Alississippi  River. 
From  the  Lake  of  the  Woods  to  the  R.;cky  Mountains  is  as  far  as 
from  tile  Atlantic  coast  t(j  the  Mississippi,  and  from  Emerson,  on 
the  International  boundary,  to  Fort  \"ermillioii,  is  as  far  as  from 
Chicago  to  Florida.  It  is  estim. Ued  that  the  fertile  belt  alone, 
excluding  the  plains  in  the  southwest  whose  character  is  yet 
doubtful,  contains  250,000,000  acres  of  lands  fit  for  the  cultivation 
of  grain,  or  five  times  as  much  as  the  whole  area  (>f  Minnesota, 
one  of  the  largest  States  in  the  Union.  It  is  probable  that  this 
falls  far  short  of  tlie  entire  territory  that  will  be  found  fit  to 
sustain  a  population.  Only  the  merest  fraction  of  the  country 
is  vet  settled.      The   Red   River    settlements,   extendins:   a   short 


TIIK    niUTISH    NOniHWKST. 


5 


distance  above  and  belovv^  \Vinnipc<j^,  and  perhaps  loo  miles  up 
the  As-sinniboine,  comprise  nearly  the  entire  occupied  part  ot"  the 
Northwestern  Provinces.  There  are  small  out-lvinij  settlements 
at  Pembina  and  Turtle  Mountain,  west  of  the  Red  River,  and 
Mennonite  establishments  near  Emerson  and  Rat  Pf)rta<j;e.  Emi- 
ofrants  now  comins^  into  the  Northwest  mainlv  seek  homes  in  the 
settlements  west  of  the  river,  and  follow  the  line  of  the  railroad 


CITY   HALL,  WINNIPEG. 


up  the  Assinniboine  Valley.  The  more  accessible  lands  east  ot 
the  Red  River,  though  of  exhaustless  fertility.  ha\e  been  tbund 
too  wet  for  cultivation  without  (h'ainau^e.  Tlieir  main  use  at 
])resent  is  as  hay  meadows. 

These   small   and  experimental   settlements   have  demonstrated 
the   capabilities    of   the   country   as    the   seat    ol"   an    agricultural 


}  J 


■  ii 


I 


I  ; 


1 


W 


»     I 


ijn  ; 


M 

\    t 


6 


TIIK    niUTISH    NOKTIIWEST. 


population  and  pointed  out  its  advantages  and  disadvantages. 
The  Northwest  Provinces  are,  above  all,  a  cereal  growing  region. 
In  agreement  with  the  known  formula  that  wheat  is  produced 
in  the  greatest  abundance  and  perfection  in  the  highest  latitutles 
that  permit  it  to  come  to  maturity,  the  Province  of  Manitoba 
produces  the  best  wheat  known  to  the  American  markets,  with 
an  average  yield  per  acre  of  thirty  or  forty  bushels.  Oats  and 
barlev  yield  in  proportion.  Indian  corn  cannot  be  successfully 
raised,  though  root  crops  and  grass  grow  in  perfection,  and  yield 
enormouslv.  Potatoes  of  the  best  quality  are  produced  at  an 
average  of  400  b'lshels  to  the  acre.  The  ease  with  which  hay 
and  root  crops  are  grown  seems  to  point  out  a  possibility  of 
sufficiently  diversifying  the  agricidture  of  the  country  by  stock 
raising.  Cattle  are  raised  in  considerable  quantity  about  Mani- 
toba, and  the  wooded  country  along  the  Saskatchewan  and  the 
high  plains  farther  south  are  said  to  be  adn.  rably  adapted  to 
grazing  upon  a  large  scale. 

It  is  fully  believed  and  confirmed  by  the  reports  of  explorers  that 
the  conditions  of  agricidtural  production  in  Manitoba  exist  over 
the  greater  part  of  the  region  above  described,  and  those  in  many 
localities  are  even  more  favorable.  The  climate  in  the  Province 
is  that  characteristic  of  a  sheltered  interior  retjion  in  a  hisfh  lati- 
tude.  The  winter  is  long,  steady,  with  little  snow  and  severe 
frost,  and  the  summer  short,  warm  and  bright.  Germination  is 
rapid  and  liarvcst  early.  Wheat  is  sown  towards  the  end  of 
April,  and  harvesting  finished  about  the  middle  of  September. 
The  mean  yearly  temperature  at  Winnipeg  ranges  about  32", 
with  a  range  from  highest  to  lowest  in  five  years  from  43^  to  99°. 
These  climatic  conditions  are  hardly  changed  for  1,500  miles  to 
the  Northwest.  West  of  the  Retl  River  the  isothermal  lines  take 
a  sharp  turn  to  the  northward,  and  the  climate  of  Peace  River 
Valley,  in  latitude  56'  to  58  ,  is  scarcely  severer  than  at  Fort 
(iarry.  Probably  a  much  lower  mean  temperatiue  prevails  in  the 
rocky  and  wooded  region  west  of  the  lakes,  antl  on  the  high 
plains  north  of  the  boundary  ;  but  the  Saskatchewan  Valley,  the 
region  at  the  foot  of  the  mountains  and  the  Peace  River  coimtry, 
is  said  to  be  milder  than  the  Red  River  Valley,  and  better  adapted 
to  support  animal  and  vegetable  life.  There  are  two  reasons  for 
this  apparentl}  contradictory  climatic  condition  ;  the  low  general 


m 


.SI, 

^1 


}  I 


t 

'    ! 
<    1 


THE    BKITISH    NORTHWEST. 


)?;«=:*;■■ 


elevation  of  the  country  between  the  Rocky  Mountains  and  the 
Red  River,  and  the  exposure  of  its  western  portion  to  the  warm 
moist  winds  which  find  their  way  from  the  Pacific  Ocean  through 
the  low  passes  of  the  narrowed  chain  of  the  Rocky  Mountains, 
without  being  dried  and  chilled  by  passing  over  broad  elevated 
plateaus.  A  glance  at  the  map,  aided  by  a  few  figures,  points 
out  how  the  plains  of  British  America  descend  from  the  high 
Missouri  plateau  on  the  one  side  and  the  Rocky  Mountains  on 
the  other,  Edmonton,  on  the  Upper  Saskatchewan,  at  the  very 
base  of  the  mountains,  is  only  3,000  feet  above  the  sea,  about 
the  height  of  the  Missouri  plateau  i  .000  miles  further  east.  From 
here  the  course  of  the  river  shows  a  sharp  decline  in  elevation 
towards  the  Arctic  and  Winnipeg  basins.  I'here  is  a  larger  and 
more  general  decline  from  the  Missouri  itself  to  the  north.  The 
Missouri  has  not  a  single  tributary  on  its  northern  side,  except 
the  Milk  River,  which  flows  nearly  parallel  with  it.  All  the 
rivers  of  the  country  flow  down  a  rapid  slope  north  and  east. 
The  fertile  belt  of  the  Saskatchewan  and  Peace  Rivers  is  the 
great  interior  plain  of  the  continent,  and  its  decline  in  elevation 
from  the  Missouri  plateau  is  enough,  according  to  the  formula 
which  makes  three  or  four  hundred  feet  of  elevation  equal  to  a 
degree  of  latitude  in  its  eflect  upon  temperature,  to  account  for 
a  stationary  or  rising  mean  temperatine  from  the  International 
boundary  to  the  Peace  River,  700  miles  north.  The  elevation  of 
the  temperature  of  the  region  east  of  the  mountains,  bv  warm 
winds  from  the  Pacific,  is  one  of  the  traditions  of  the  countrv, 
and  it  has  been  confirmed  by  scientific  investigation.  Prof. 
Macoun,  the  Dominion  botanist,  found  on  the  Peace  River  a 
mean  temperature,  the  same  as  that  of  Montreal,  and  a  Ix-lt  of 
land  150  by  750  miles  as  well  adapted  to  wheat  raising  as 
Ontario. 

The  (juestion  of  fuel  naturally  connects  itself  with  that  of 
climate,  and,  in  the  absence  of  timber  on  a  great  part  of  the 
fertile  belt,  it  becomes  a  serious  one  for  the  settler.  There  are 
heavy  woods  north  of  the  Saskatchewan,  on  the  east  slope  of  the 
mountains,  and  at  some  points  the  banks  of  its  streams  are 
wooded,  but  by  far  the  greater  part  of  the  fertile  belt  is  treeless. 
In  this  view  the  great  outcrops  of  coal  on  the  Upper  Saskatche- 
wan, the  Peace  River,  and  even  upon  the  Assinniboine  become  of 


o 


II H- 


IMIl 

:i  1 1 


■   !|i 

«    ■    > 


iiii 

I  h  ' 


1  • 


in 

.  1  ■ 


1  I 


i! 


(. 


8 


TJIK    BKITISH    NOUTHWKST 


great  interest.  This  coal,  like  that  in  the  Missouri  Valley,  in 
Dakota,  is  unlimited  in  quantity,  but  of  doubtful  quality.  It  is 
all  of  later  date  than  the  true  coal  measures,  and  is  probably 
unfitted  for  the  more  important  manufacturing  purposes.  How- 
ever, it  has  long  been  used  for  domestic  purposes  at  the  trading- 
posts,  and  it  is  believed  deposits  can  be  found  not  greatly  inferior 
to  the  Vancouver's  Island  coal,  whicli  has  a  considerable  com- 
mercial value.  At  any  rate,  like  the  Dakota  lignite,  it  is  the  fuel  of 
the  country,  and  human  ingenuity  can  be  trusted  to  find  some  way 
to  utilize  it.     There  is  plenty  of  it  to  waste  in  experimenting. 

Finally,  something  remains  to  be  said  of  means  and  channels  of 
inter-communication  between  the  ditlerent  parts  of  this  new  em- 
l^ire  of  the  Northwest.  Nature  has  been  so  lavish  in  the  supply 
of  such  channels  that  the  delay  of  human  enterijrise  to  supplement 
them  is  almost  excusable.  Starting  from  Winnipeg  as  a  centre, 
the  Red  River,  some  300  miles  long  antl  navigable  for  more  than 
half  its  length,  opens  an  easy  road  into  the  United  States.  The 
Assinniboine,  longer  almost  than  its  parent  stream,  and  maintain- 
ing its  size  for  half  its  length,  is  navigable  for  500  miles  of  its 
windings  west  of  Winnipeg  to  Fort  Ellice,  distant  by  a  straight 
line  some  350  miles  from  the  Red  River.  The  Asinniboine  and 
its  tributaries,  the  Qii'Appelle  and  wSouris,  drain  a  valley  twice  as 
long  as  its  navigable  course.  There  are  now  two  or  more  lines 
of  steamers  on  both  the  Red  and  Assitmiboine  Rivers,  doing  a 
thriving  trade  with  the  outlying  settlements.  North  of  Winni- 
peg, the  lake  for  which  it  is  named  opens  300  miles  of  unbroken 
steamer  navigation  towards  Hudson  Bav,  which  is  onlv  cut  off 
by  the  insurmountable  falls  and  rapids  of  Nelson  River.  It  is 
one  of  the  dreams  of  the  future  to  build  a  railroad  along  this  river 
and  open  a  short  ocean  route  for  the  products  of  the  Northwest, 
via  Hudson  Bay,  to  Europe.  West  of  Lake  Winnipeg  its  mag- 
nificent tributary,  the  Saskatchewan,  stretches  its  royal  length 
1,500  miles  to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and,  with  its  two  branches, 
opens  a  ]>ath  to  almost  every  part  of  the  fertile  belt.  Excepting 
the  Grand  Rapid  close  to  its  mouth,  the  Saskatchewan  is  navig- 
able for  1,200  miles,  to  Fort  Edmonton.  The  Hudson  Bay  Com- 
pany has  a  line  of  steamers  on  both  lake  and  river.  Finally,  the 
Peace  River,  through  its  broad  water-course  of  2,000  miles  to  the 
Arctic  Ocean,  though  the  Athabaska  and  McKenzie  Rivers   has 


'f%y 


3 


i 


:& 


THE  BRITISH   NOimiWKST. 


9 


no  utility  tor  traffic,  opens  the  only  approach  to  a  practicable  water 
route  across  the  mountains  westward. 

The  Canadian  Pacific  Railroad,  in  its  eHbrts  to  supplement 
natural  lines  of  traflic,  has  built  a  road  from  Lake  Superior  to 
Selkirk,  on  the  Red  River,  except  a  gap  of  some  150  miles  ;  from 
Selkirk  south  throufjh  Winnipeg  to  meet  the  American  system 
of  roads  at  the  boundary  ;  and  westward  up  the  Assinniboine 
Vallev  as  far  as  Portage  La  Prairie,  sixty  miles  on  the  way  across 
the  continent. 

The  political  history  of  the  Northwest  country  has  been  un- 
eventful enough.  Up  to  1869  it  was  held  as  pri\ate  property  by 
the  Hutlson  Bav  Company  for  trading  purposes;  then  was  or- 
Sfanized  into  Pi"ovinces  of  the  Dominion.  What  there  is  to  be 
said  on  this  point  can  be  better  embraced  in  the  more  eventful, 
though  narrower  history  of  Manitoba. 


'.fit 


f 


'It! 


illl 

■  >  '8 


\} 


It 


'i   '  ' 

■M; 

■I  ■  ■ 
i    \ 

-I       ! 


I!    "I 


i 


'  ... 


II. 


THE    PRAIRIE  PROVINCE. 

MANITOBA  AND  ITS  CAIMTAL  —  THKIR  I«)M  ANTIC  IlISTOKY  AND  MAGIC  NEW 
GROWTH  —  WINNIPEG'S  I'OPULATION  MLLTITLlIiD  TEN  EOLD  IN  TEN 
YEARS —  IMPRESSIONS  OF  HIE  NEW  CITY  —  EMIGRATION,  PRESENT  AND 
FUTURE  —  THE  FIRST  WASH  OF  THE  HUMAN  WAVE  —  THE  GROWTH 
OF  A  POLITICAL  STATE  OUT  OF  A  TRADE  COLONY — THE  HUDSON  BAY 
COMPANY —  ITS  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 

Manitoba,  tlie  Prairie  Province,  and  Winnipeg,  its  capital,  with 
several  changes  of  proprietorship  and  vicissitudes  of  fortune, 
have  iiad  two  distinct  epochs  of  history,  one  about  fifty  years 
long,  from  the  grant  to  Lord  .Selkirk  in  iSii  to  the  formation 
of  the  Canadian  confederation  in  1870;  and  the  second  from  that 
event  to  the  present.  The  hrst  was  a  long  period  of  torpor  and 
slow  growth,  crowded  with  wild  adventure  and  romantic  inci- 
dent, but  unmarked  by  signs  of  material  progress  and  advancing 
civilization.  The  second  period  has  been  one  of  wonderful 
growth  and  swift  material  development.  A  single  branch  of 
semi-barbarian  commerce  has  been  succeeded,  with  the  rapidity 
of  a  panoramic  change,  by  all  the  varied  industries  of  a  civilized 
people.  A  settled  political  system  has  succeeded  a  species  of 
feudal  land  proprietorship  ;  a  city  has  succeeded  a  trading  post; 
the  province  has  trebled  in  population,  and  its  capital  has  grown 
ten-fold  ;  railroads  have  brought  emigration  and  commerce  and 
all  the  varied  pursuits  of  agriculture  ;  trade  and  manufactures  are 
crystallizing  about  a  growing  center  of  national  life. 

Ten  years  ago  Winnipeg  awoke  from  a  lethargy  of  half  a  century 
to  the  vigorous  palpitating  life  of  a  modern  commercial  city, 
almost  in  a  day.     Political  organization  was  the  magic  wand  that 


I 


THE   mUTISII    NOKrilWKSr. 


11 


f 


first  aroused  the  slumberinj^  couuminily.  and  it  soon  l)rou;4ht  in 
its  train  all  the  stimulatin<;  influences  ot"  commerce.  The  first 
railway  arrived  not  long  after  the  Confederation,  a  section  of  the 
Canada  Pacitic,  extending  east  and  west  from  Selkirk,  a  town 
some  twenty  miles  north  of  Winnipeg,  but  this  remained  for 
some  time  with  its  ends  in  the  air.  Real  railway  communication 
came  in  187S,  when  the  Pembina  branch  of  the  Canada  Pacific  was 
built  south  from  Selkirk  through  Winnipeg  to  Emerson,  on  the 
international  boundary,  to  connect  with  the  St.  Paul,  Minne- 
apolis &  Manitoba  and  the  whole  American  railway  system. 
This  was  an  era  in  the  commercial  history  of  Manitolia  ;  and 
another  came  last  year,  when  the  same  Canadian  and  American 
capitalists,  whose  foresight  conceived,  and  whose  skill  and 
energv  executed  the  reorganization  of  the  old  .St.  Paul  &  Pacific 
Railway,  l)ecame,  through  the  bargain  of  tlie  Dominion  govern- 
ment with  the  svndicate,  the  proiectors  and  constructors  of  the 
Canailian  Pacific.  'I'he  last  three  vears  have  been  full  of  eras  for 
Manitoba.  The  Northwest  has  been  dasheil  along  a  swift  and 
tumultuous  current  of  development  and  prosperity,  rivaling  the 
rapids  of  its  own  rivers. 

Winnipeg,  as  I  saw  it  upon  my  arrival  there  in  July,  1S81, 
bore  upon  its  municipal  countenance  obvious  marks  of  the  won- 
derful changes  of  the  last  ten  years.  Indeed  the  first  signs  of  the 
great  awakening  are  seen  immediately  upon  entering  tlie  Province. 
Emerson,  the  first  station  across  tlie  boundary,  from  a  mere  cus- 
toms point,  has  grown  to  a  prosperous  town  of  regular  streets, 
stores,  churches  and  public  buildings,  whose  importance  is 
apparent  even  from  tiie  railroad  crossing  on  the  other  side  of  the 
river.  Between  Emerson  and  Winnipeg  there  is  little  evidence 
of  growth  and  settlement.  Along  the  railroad  on  the  cast  side  of 
the  Retl  River  nearlv  all  the  land  has  been  assigned  by  the 
Dominion  government  to  the  half-breeds  of  the  Fort  Garry  post. 
Tlicse  are  readv  enough  to  sell,  though,  they  show  no  disposition 
to  improve  their  property,  but  the  land  is  too  uniformly  low  and 
wet  to  invite  settlement.  On  the  west  side  of  the  Red  River  the 
land  is  higher  and  better,  and  several  impoitaut  towns  are 
springing  up  which  will  siiortly  be  connected  with  Winnipeg  by 
the  Manitoba  &  Southwestern  Railway.  Winnipeg,  like  all  the 
Red   River  towns  in  Manitoba,  is  on  the  west   side  of   the   river 


it) 


Till.  Bin  risii  NoiM  ii\vr<:sr 


;!;    I 


^f 


and  lies  oil  a  level  hut  dry  bolloin  helwecu  the  Assinnibohie, 
which  here  joins  the  Red  Kiver  fium  the  west,  and  the  main 
stream.  The  I'emhina  branch  railway  joins  the  main  line  iVoni 
SelUirk.  al>out  two  miles   apparently   helow    the  junction    of  the 


river,  where 


it   crosses   tiie    river 


i)\' 


a   Ime   iron 


brid' 


\v 


liich 


when  com])leted.  will  have  accommodation  tor  wa<;on  and  toot 
as  well  as  railway  passen<iers.  Hetween  the  river  and  the  rail- 
way depot  is  abundant  room  for  the  Canadian  l*acilic  freij^ht 
houses  and  shops  of  the  fntiu'c.  'I'he  railroatl  with  the  two  rivers 
forms  an  irre<^ular  cjuadranj^le  embracini^  the  city  (mi  three  sides. 
From  the  station  to  Fort  (jarr\.  the  old  Hudson  l?ay  trading- post, 
stretches  Main  Street,  nearU'  two  mik's  lonjif  and  lined  for  the 
greater  part  of  its  course  with  business  blocks,  many  of  them 
brick  and  of  \  crv  imposini^  ap|)earance.  The  city  slopes  olV  irreg- 
ularl\'  to  the  ri\er  and  j)rairie  on  either  siile  in  residence  streets, 
that  look  raw  enough  for  the  present,  but  |)romise  svell  tor  the 
future. 

The  whole  cilv  has  a  new  unlhiishcd  look,  like  the  stage  of  a 
theatre  behind  the  curtain  when  a  scene  is  being  shitted  The 
old  picturesque  landmarks  are  in  course  of  obliteration,  and  the 
new  citv  that  is  growing  up  on  their  ruins  has  not  taken  definite 
form,  b'ort  (Jarrw  the  most  conspicuous  teature  in  the  old  town, 
has  been  cnxeloped  l)v  new  buildings,  and  the  old  wall  sur- 
rou.'iiling  it  has  been  torn  down  to  furnish  material  for  the  foun- 
datifJiis  of  biick  blocks.  Fine  steam  mills  have  arisen  on  the 
plateau  below,  and  a  substantial  iron  wagon  bridge  is  spanning 
the  Assinniboine  at  the  very  gates  of  the  fort.  The  prairie  west 
of  the  fort  is  taking  shape  as  the  popular  residence 'section,  and 
many  thie  brick  dwellings  are  rising  upon  the  bank  of  the  river 
ami  the  adjoining  plain.  All  the  residence  part  of  the  citv  pre- 
sents an  air  of  thrift  and  prosperity,  and  there  is  a  notal)le  absence 
of  squalid  shanties.  J'he  public  buildings  and  recent  business 
blocks  are  solidly  Ijuilt  of  lirick.  The  only  part  of  the  city  that 
retains  anything  of  its  ancient  aspect  is  the  French  Catholic 
suburb  of  St.  Boniface,  across  the  Red  River  from  the  main 
town.  This  is  the  episcopal  residence  of  Bishop  Tache.  whose 
authority  extends  over  the  whole  Northwest,  the  seat  of  St. 
Boniface  college,  and  several  associated  religious  and  educational 
institutions. 


^-1 


w 


TUK  iiKnisM  \ou  rinvicsT.  13 

riu;  present  p()[)iil.iti()n  of  \Vinnipc;j^  is  al)oiit  lo.ooo.  When 
Manitoba  was  taUcii  into  the  Dominion  in  1S71,  it  was  only  200 
or  300.  The  <;"ro\vtli  lias  been  steady  since  1S71.  varying  a  little 
from  about  a  thousand  j^er  year.  \Vith  the  establishment  of  the 
Provincial  (Tovernment.  Dominion  land  offices  and  railroad  hcad- 
(juarters  be^ijan  disbursements  of  larji^e  sums  of  public  money, 
which  have  continued  in  increasinir  amount.     These  have  been  a 


MONTREAL    BANK    BUILDING,    WINImPEG. 

powerful  artificial  stimulus  to  the  natural  Ljrowth  of  the  Province, 
and  have  increased  the  population  of  the  cit\  ten  fold,  while  that 
of  Manitoba  has  increased  tVom  17,000  in  1871  to  40,000  in 
18S1.  The  trade  of  the  Pr()\ince  has  certainly  grown  live  to 
ten  fold  in  ten  years,  though  in  its  chaotic,  primitive  conditions 
there  is  a   lack   ot   positi\  e  siatistics.      But  the  customs  duties  for 


iil 


14 


iiiic  uitnisii  Nou'iiiwKs  r 


1 


i88i  are  cstiinatfd  at  hctwceii  tfi3oo,ooo  aiu 


di- 


ll'' 


.^^(jo.cxx),  against 
some  $67,000  ill  1874.  riie  exports  arrive  by  two  eliaimels,  the 
Pembina  branch  railway  and  Red  River,  on  which  liveor  si\  bnes 
of  steamers  ply  in  the  ^nnimer  months.  The  interior  trade  is  in 
the  hands  of  the  llndson  Bay  Company,  which  has  lines  of 
steamers  on  Lake  Winnipeg  and  the  Saskatchewan,  ami  trading 
posts  scatteied  over  the  whole  immense  region  stretching  to  the 
Arctic  Ocean  and  the  Rocky  Monntains.  and  two  private  lines  of 
steamers  npon  the  Assinniboine. 

Emigration,  upon  which  the  hilnre  of  the  Northwest  depends, 
has  been  steadily  increasing  since  1871,  though  as  yet  it  is  inc( 
siilerable  in  comparison  with  what  coming  years  must  bri 
The  emigration  for  the  present  season,  about  half  thiished  in 
Julv.  numbered  then  about  4,000,  of  whom  the  commissioner  of 
emigration  believes  about  two-thinls  are  from  Canada,  and  tiie 
rest  from  Great  Britain.  So  efforts  to  attract  continental  emi- 
gration have  not  been  successful,  except  in  the  case  of  the  Russian 
Mennonites.  The  Icelandic  colony,  established  some  years  ago 
upon  Lake  Manitoba,  has  proved  an  utter  failure,  and  broken  up. 
I  do  not  consider,  from  a  hasty  collection  of  fragmentary  and 
imperfect  statistics  from  the  different  land  offices,  that  more  than 
4,000,000  acres  of  land  in  the  whole  Northwest  are  sold  or  taken 
up.  This  is  scarcely  one-fittieth  of  the  whole  amount  available. 
The  opening  of  new  land  otfices,  and  the  enlisting  of  new  cor- 
porate interests  in  the  sale  of  land,  will  give  a  great  stimulus  to 
emigration  and  settlement. 

Up  to  the  present  year,  the  only  method  of  obtaining  lands  in 
the  Northwest,  except  by  purchase  from  settlers  or  half-breed 
graiiters,  has  been  through  the  I^ominion  land  office  and  the  Hud- 
son Ray  Company;  and  the  latter  has  not  been  eager  to  sell, 
or  enterprising  in  inviting  settlement.  Now  the  Canadian  Pacific 
railroad  syndicate  has  become  the  proprietor  of  25.000.000  acres 
oi  land  along  its  lines,  which  are  to  be  immediately  put  into 
the  market,  and  urged  upon  purchasers  by  the  most  modern 
il^ethotls.  The  syndicate  lands,  it  is  said,  are  to  be  sold  at  the 
maximum  government  price  of  $2.50  per  acre,  except  in  certain 
desirable  localities,  where  a  larger  price  will  lie  demanded.  The 
Hudson  j?ay  Company,  which  received  by  the  bargain  with  the 
Dominion    in    1S71,    two   sections    in  every  township,    holds    its 


■I 


TIIK   MIUTlSIt    N'OUTHWKST. 


15 


lands  at  $,3.00  to  $6.00  per  aero  ;  and  is  doing  some  thrit'tv  spec- 
ulation  in   town  lots.      Governnien*   land  can  be  obtained   muler 
homestead  and  pre-emption  laws,  similar  to  those  in  the  LInited 
States,  except  that  the  conditions  of  residence,  price  and  time  tor 
payment  are   more  favorable.     The   price  of  pre-emption  lands 
is  $1.00  per  acre  outside  of  railroad  limits,  and  $2.^0  within. 
Since  the  advent  of  the  syndicate  an   active   movement  in  land 
speculation   has    be<,nni.     Winnipeg   is   in   the   throes  of  a   most 
aggravated   real   estate  boom.     Town  lots  are   rapidlv  changing 
hands  at    prices   which    seem   unreal    ami   fictitious,    but   wliich 
tempt  the   most   conservative   investor   by   their  steadv   advance 
from  day  to  day.     While  I  was  in  the  city  business  property  sold 
at  auction  for  $825.00  per  foot.     The  Hudson  Ba\  Companv  and 
private  speculators  are  getting  fabulous  prices  for  residence  lots, 
platted   on  what   was    lately  unoccupied    prairie.     I   am   told   a 
similar  fever  of  speculation  prevails  in  the  new  towns  along  the 
line  of  railroad  west  of  there. 

The  Province  of  Manitoba  has  a  curious  and  eventful  historv, 
with  which  its  present  and  futiue  are  so  closely  inter-related  as  to 
make  a  cursory  review  of  it  somewhat  profitable.     It  is  a  pait  of 
the  vast  territory  contested  at  the  time  of  the  first  settlement  ujdou 
the  Red  River,  by  the  rival  trading  companies  consolidated  sixty 
years  ago,   whose    annals   embrace  those  of  Manitoba  u[)  to  its 
organization  as  a  Province  in  1S71,     The  Hudson  Bay  Company, 
which  exercised   the  right  of  absolute  domain  over   nearlv  half 
the  North  American  continerit  until  ten  years  ago,  was  organized 
in  1670,  under  a  royal  charter,  granting  it  all  the  lands  drained 
by  streams  flowing  into  Hudson  Bay,  for  the  purpose  of  trad- 
ing with  the  Indians.     For  a  century  and  a  half  the  company 
confined  its  operations  with  regions  nearest  the  sea  coast ;  and,  in 
the  last  half  of  the  eigliteenth  century,  its  proper  territory,  south 
and  west  of  Lake  Winnipeg,  was  occupied  by  French  traders 
from  Montreal.     These  organized,  in  I'jS^,  the  Northw^est  Trad- 
ing Company,  which  became  the  formidable  rival  of  the  Hudson 
Bay  Company,  though   it  possessed   no   territorial   or  chartered 
rights.      In    iSii    Lord   Selkirk,    an   enterprising   but  visionary 
Scotch  nobleman,  who  had  visited  the  Red  River  as  a  director 
in  the  Hudson  Bay  Company,  conceived  the  notion  of  founding 
an  agricultural  settlement  there.      He  obtained  a  grant  of  land, 
4 


•t- 


^^ 


m 


9., 

^ 

•if.. 


h; 


rin.  Murrisii  noktiiwkst 


emhraciiifT  all  the  ti-nitoiv  (Iniiucd  l>v  Lake  Wimiipcfj.  extriul- 
iii^.  of  course,  south  to  Lake  Traverse  in  Minnesota;  and  the 
new  year  brouf^dit  out  a  small  company  ot"  Highland  Scotchmen. 
They  s.ttled  at  the  present  site  of  W'imiipejj,  hut  had  a  rou^h 
time  enoujfh  of  it  for  the  ilrst  ten  years,  heinj^f  driven  out  two  or 
three  times  1)\  the  French  Canadian  settlers,  drowned  out  by 
Hoods,  and  havin«;  their  crops  destroyed  by  jjrasshoppers.  They 
held  their  j^round,  however,  and.  in  1S31  the  worst  of  their 
troubles  was  removid  1)\  the  amal«;amation  of  the  hostile  Noith- 
west  Company  with  the  Ihtdson  May  Com[)auy.  The  <^reat 
tradin<f  monopoly  then  exteniled  its  jurisdiction  over  the  whole 
Northwest,  estahlishin<;  posts  from  Lake  Superior  to  the  Arctic, 
and  tVom  the  Rlh]  Ri\  er  to  tlie  Pacific  ocean  ;  and  exercisinu;', 
throuj^h  its  armv  of  clerks  and  functionaries,  all  the  civil,  mil- 
itar\  and  judicial  ri<>hts  of  an  inde[K'ndent  ^'overnment.  'i'he 
Reil  River  settlement  became  a  mixed  conuuynity  of  Scotch. 
Flench  and  Indian  lilood.  cultivatinjf  a  narrow  stri|j  of  land  alonjf 
the   Red  and  Assiimii)oine  R.ivers,  ami  existinj;  bv   sullerauce  of 


the   commercial    lords   of  the   countrv 


'I'h 


ev    raised    al)undant 


crops  and   lived  prosperously  ;  but.  foi-  want  of  communication 
with  the  outside   world,  could   neither  market  their  surplus  nor 


nicrease  their  numl)ers  In-  emiy;ration 


Th 


e  ct)loiiv   survived   m 


this  dead-alive  c<Mulition  until  tiie  foundation  of  the  Canadian 
confederation.  In  1S68  negotiations  were  begun  for  the  extinc- 
tion of  the  Ihulson  Bay  Company's  title  to  the  lands,  which 
were  concluded  a  year  or  two  later.  The  company  received 
$1,500,000  and  one-twentieth  of  the  public  lands.  The  coinpain 
still  exercises  its  old  rights  in  the  remote  frontier,  but  abdicates 
them  as  fast  as  settlements  are  made  and  local  2'overnments 
formed.  The  amiexation  of  Manitoba  to  the  Dominion  was  not 
accomplished  without  some  friction,  the  French  Canadians  and 
half-breeds,  under  Louis  Riel,  raising  the  standard  of  revolt,  and 
formed  a  provisional  govermiient.  The  rebellion  was  a  mere 
burlesque,  though  it  lasted  a  year,  and  rose  t<j  the  tragic  level  in 
•  iie  event — the  shooting  of  an  Englishman  named  Scott  bv  order 
of  the  half-drunken  provisional  government.  The  revolt  fell 
to  pieces  upon  the  appearance  of  British  troops,  though  it  is 
claimed  that  the  Province  obtained  more  favorable  terms  from 
the  Dominion  by  this  show  of  force.     In  1S71  Manitoba  peace- 


li 


nil';  nun  isii  noim  ii\vi;sr. 


17 


;il)ly    bcCiiiiK'   a    I'lox  iiicc   of  Caiiaila,  ami   hf^Mn    the    (.arccr    of 
prosperity  skctclu'd  aliovc 

Manitoba,  as  orj^'aiii/.id  in  1S71.  contained  only  ahout  i.},ocx) 
s([iiaie  miles,  tlie  I'rovince  of  Keewatin  lyiii<if  to  the  east,  and 
the  <,Meat  Noithwest  'renitorv  to  the  west.  Hv  recent  leunslation 
it  has  been  extended  to  the  east,  west  and  north,  so  tiiat  it  now 
contains  about  117,000  scpiare  miles,  or  one-half  more  than 
Minnesota.  It  is  governed  by  a  Provincial  Parliament  with  a 
responsible  ministry,  whose  head  is  Hon.  J<.lin  Norciuay.  a  pro- 
duct of  the  country.  The  moiiarchial  principle  is  re[)resented 
by  Lieutenant  (Joveinor  Cauchon,  a  res|)ectable  old  French 
Canadian  party,  wlio  draws  his  salary  with  i^iace  and  dignity. 
The  Province  is  nearl\-  all  prairie  and  c;ulti\al)le  laud. 


.i 


■v^.  -^ 


^> 


^-  ^vV^ 


111. 


DOWN  LAKE  WINNIPEG. 


SIX  HUNDRED  MILES  IN  A  HUDSON'  BAY  STEAMER  — THE  LOWER  RED 
RIVKR  AND  ITS  SWAMI'S  —  LAKH  WINNIPEG.  ITS  SHORES  AND 
WATERS  —  RUNMNC;  THE  tJKAND  RAI'IDS  OF  THE  SASKATCHEWAN 
—  THE  PARADISE  OE  POT  KISHERMEN  —  A  CHARACTERISTIC  HUDSON 
BAY    COMPANY    POST. 

During  the  first  week  in  July  ^  traveled  by  water  320  miles 
north  froiii  Vinnipeg  to  tlie  head  of  Nelson  River  and  the  mouth 
of  the  Saskatchewan.  At  the  former  place  I  was  still  300  miles 
from  the  point  where  the  whole  water  system  of  the  Winnipeg 
basin  discharofes  itself  throujjh  the  mouth  of  the  Nelson  into 
Hudson  Bay.  At  the  latter  point  I  was  at  the  threshold  of  1.200 
miles  of  water  navigation,  through  thousands  of  square  miles  of 
the  fertile  wheat  growing  belt  to  the  rich  mineral  deposits  at  the 
foot  of  the  Rockv  Alountains.  The  magnificent  distances  and 
wonderful  undeveloped  capacities  of  this  country  are  not  its  only 
surprises.       Parallels    of    latitude   seem    to    be    wiped    out,    and 


x\  1 


isotliermal  lines  to  stand  upon  their  lieads 


th( 


We  sailed  the  whole 


distance  under  Italian  skies,  through  balmy  summer  breezes  and 
past  shores  clad  in  luxuriant  verdure.  All  through  we  slept  with 
our  outer  state  room  doors  open,  passed  evenings  upon  the  upper 
deck  and  sought  shelter  from  the  burnin<r  sun  during  the  dav. 
Only  one  day  was  it  oppressively  hot  during  the  trip.  On  that 
day  I  afterwards  learned  the  mercury  stood  at  95  degrees  in  the 
shade  at  Winnipeg.  vSurely  wlien  Lake  Winnipeg  is  fairly 
opened  to  convtMiient  travel,  it  will  become  a  popular  tourists' 
resort,  rivaling  Lake  George  and  the  St.  Lawrence.  The  only 
atmospheric  disti  rbance  experienced  was  a  veritable  tropical 
gust  of  thunder,  rain,  wind  and  hail,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Sas- 


THE  BRITISH  NOUTinVEST. 


19 


katchewan.  It  lasted  about  half  an  hour.  At  ahnost  the  hisrhest 
hititude  leached  on  the  trip,  sometliiuir  more  than  54  north, 
I  saw  garden  patches  rechumed  witli  ditHculty  tVoni  the  desohite 
swamps,  with  veii^etables  apparently  as  far  advanced  as  in  the 
Red  River  V^alley,  and  heard  wonderful  relations  of  the  quick 
productive  growth  of  the  cereals  and  vegetables  in  the  fertile 
Saskatchewan  and  Peace  River  regions  to  the  west,  on  the  same 
and  higher  parallels. 

To  make  an  end  of  generalizations,  the  only  steam  na\igation 
at  present  on  Lake  Winnipeg  is  by  the  Hudson  Bay  Companv's 
steam  tug  Colvile,  Capt.  Hacklanil,  which  makes  trips  about 
weekly  during  the  season,  carrying  supplies  to,  and  retuining 
with  furs  from  other  company's  posts  on  Lake  W^innipeg,  the 
Saskatchewan,  Hudson  Bay  and  the  rivers  that  flow  to  the  Arctic 
Ocean.  The  Colvile  is  an  exceedingly  strongly  built  little  craft 
of  some  hundreil  tons  capacity.  By  the  accident  of  co-incident 
invitations  from  Mr.  John  II.  McTavish.  chief  factor  of  the  com- 
pany  at  Fort  Garry,  quite  a  large  party  of  tourists  for  these 
unfrequented  waters  met  upon  the  deck  of  the  Colvile,  upon  the 
last  Wednesday  in  June.  Senator  Butler,  of  South  Carolina,  and 
Gen.  P.  M.  B.  Yoimg,  of  Georgia,  went  after  fish  and  relaxation. 
Mr.  F.  Jay  Haynes,  of  Fargo,  who  has  carried  his  ubiquitous 
camera  from  Deadwood  to  Fort  Benton  and  from  Lake  vSuperior 
to  the  Yellowstone  went  in  the  interest  of  his  art.  Mr.  Roderick 
Ross,  the  Hudson  Bay  othcial  in  charge  of  Norway  House,  on 
the  Nelson  river,  returned  to  his  post.  I  sliall  often  quote  Mr. 
Ross  in  writing  of  the  Northwest,  perhaps  sometimes  without 
inverted  commas.  He  is  a  splendid  s])ecimen  of  the  Hudson 
Bay  official,  born  at  Norway  House  and  trained  through  all  the 
ofrades  of  the  service  until  he  succeeded  his  father,  who  was 
factor  at  the  post  before  him.  He  has  li\ed  at  most  of  the  posts 
north  of  the  Saskatchewan,  and  gave  me  more  exact  information 
al)out  the  country  than  any  other  three  men  I  met. 

The  steamer  dropped  down  the  river  from  Fort  Garry  at  night 
to  Colvile  landing,  just  below  Selkirk,  and  we  joined  hei'  there 
in  the  morning  by  rail.  The  road  runs  a  short  distance  from  the 
river  through  a  section  of  country  not  very  inviting  in  appear- 
ance, though  it  has  great  natural  richness.  Its  general  ap- 
pearance is  like  that  above  W' innipeg,  except  that  it  is  higher  and 


•P. 


'  .'■'.  * 

".  ■ .  fc 

t 

'\  : 

■  J' 


J  J 


,;./ 


20 


THK  BRITISH   NOK  rilWKST. 


If! 


I*  i 


1^ 


better  drained.  There  are  few  siu^iis  ot  cultivation,  and  the 
huid  is  covered  with  a  h)\v  scrubhv  underbrush.  The  uncultivated 
appearance  is  explained  bv  the  peculiar  method  of  land  survey- 
ing adopted  by  the  early  settlers.  Each  family  vv^as  given  a 
narrow  front  on  the  river,  witii  a  long  strip  of  land  extending 
back.  What  we  saw  were  the  back  door  ends  of  these  shoestring- 
farms.     The  ri\er  fronts,  which  we  saw  in  ascending  the  river  on 


RAILWAY   PORTAGE  AROUND  GRAND  RAPIDS 

our  return,  presented  the  aspect  of  well  tilled  and  prosperous 
farms.  From  Selkirk  a  spur  track  leads  to  the  steamboat  land- 
ing, making  the  most  northerly  steam  railway  track  on  the 
American  continent.  The  Colville  completed  her  lading  here 
during  the  day.  and  at  about  4  o'clock  Wednesday  afternoon 
started  on  her  voyage  down  the  river.     At   this  place  the  river  is 


riiK   HKirisii   NOK  riiwicsr. 


21 


the 
atcd 
vey- 
11  a 
ling 
rin<4- 
r  on 


only  slij^htly  larger  than  at  Winnipeg,  say  350  teet  hroad,  and 
flows  in  a  crooked  course  between  banks  fifteen  to  twenty  feet 
higli  and  somewhat  wooded,  but  showing,  in  a  gradual  decline 
and  frequent  stretches  of  marshes  on  one  or  the  otiier  side, 
evidences  of  preparation  for  the  marshy  level  of  tiie  mouth.  From 
Selkirk  as  far  as  habitable  land  extends,  the  banks  are  occupied 
bv  an  Indian  reservation,  and  are  slightlv  cultivated.  At  this 
season  of  the  year  the  Indian  agent  makes  his  aiuiual  visit,  and 
his  wards  were  flocking  in  great  numbers  to  receive  tiieir  annuitv. 
On  our  return  five  days  later  they  were  assembled  in  form  about 
the  chief's  house,  and  their  teepees,  canoes,  dogs,  and  children 
added  a  picturesqueness  to  the  scene.  Tlie  Indians  on  the  lake 
are  Chippevvas,  Swampys,  Ojibways  and  Crees,  and  ihev  are  so 
mixed  by  the  Canadian  policy  of  segregation  that  there  is  little 
tribal  individuality  left  in  any  settlement.  The\  have  made  some 
progress  in  civilization,  and  now  constitute  the  chief  reliance  of 
the  Hudson  Bay  people  for  laboiers,  replacing  the  Canadian 
voyagers,  the  current  of  whose  blood  lias  disappeared  in  aboriginal 
mixture. 

Thirty  miles  below  Selkirk,  and  about  twice  as  tar  b\  river 
below  Winnipeg,  the  ri\er  soaks  gradually  into  the  lake  through 
a  number  of  mouths.  For  the  last  ten  or  twent\  miles,  the  banks 
are  swampy,  and  at  last  it  is  hard  to  tell  where  land  ends  and 
water  begins.  The  land  is  encroaching  upon  the  water  and  new 
land  is  made  vear  by  year,  as  the  whole  Red  Ri\er  valle\  lias 
gradually  been  made.  The  same  influence  has  made  a  danger- 
ous bar  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  which  the  government  has  not 
improved  much  by  some  clums\'  devices  of  buoys  and  lightship. 
Once  fairlv  in  the  lake  the  journey,  though  delightful  in  the  cabin 
and  ileck  life  of  tiie  passenger,  is  without  external  interest  tor 
thirty-six  hours,  twelve  hours  to  the  narrowest  part  of  the  lake, 
where  the  company  has  a  post,  and  twenty-four  more  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Saskatchewan.  This  gap  may  as  well  be  filled 
with  so  much  of  the  inevitalile  description  as  is  essential  to  the 
present  purpose. 

Lake  Winnipeg  is  two  hundred  and  forty  miles  long,  and  so 
narrow  tor  the  southern  half  of  its  length  that  the  navigator  is 
never  out  of  sight  of  land  To  the  north,  however,  there  is  a 
bulbous  swell  that  puts  him  in  the  midst  of  an  apparantly  bound- 


■■,■•?'*, 


r 


'^^ 


% 


'■>; 


:'v\'. 


M 


■^. 


";■■,■' 


i 


22 


THE  BRITISH   XORTIIWEST. 


».■ 


.-si 
^  ill 


'  M 


■    !!■ 


less  expanse  of  waves,  though  even  here  tlie  nuulily.  shallow  water 
destroys  the  oceanic  delusion.     The  lake  is  nowhere  deep,  meas- 


ured bv  the  standard  of  the  sf 


it  resembles  Erie  in  a 


ppe; 


at  American  lakes,  amon«f  which 
mce  more  than  any  other.  It  has 
occasional  rocks  and  sand-bars,  which  require  careful  pilotaj^e, 
and  is  said  to  be  capable  of  raising  a  nasty  sea  in  a  wind.  The 
banks  are  alike  in  vegetation,  but  totally  different  in  rock  expos- 
ure. The  geological  boundary  lies  within  the  lake,  and  the  east 
shore  is  rounded  granite  masses,  while  the  west  is  abrupt  lime- 
stone cliils.  The  shores  are  never  very  bold,  and  are  often  marshy, 
though  tiie  land  gradually  rises  to  the  north.  The  timber  is  tam- 
arack in  the  main,  with  some  spruce  on  the  higher  ground,  and 
the  deciduous  trees  characteristic  of  the  country,  poplar,  birch, 
aspen,  etc.  I  could  not  hear,  definitely,  of  anv  pine,  though  the 
w^est  shore  is  apparantly  as  well  fitted  for  it  as  the  Lake  of  the 
Woods.  The  lake  is  full  of  wooded  islands,  with  the  same 
timber  as  the  main  lantl.  There  is  no  agricultural  land  worth 
speaking  of  on  the  lake.  All  that  is  not  rock  is  marsh.  The  lake 
has  two  visible  industries  in  the  future,  when  it  shall  have  been 
opened  to  the  world  —  its  apparently  exhaustless  fisheries  of 
whitefish  and  sturgeon,  which  support  all  the  Indian  population 
of  its  banks  without  eflbrt.  and  its  timber,  wliich  is  not  of  the 
best,  but  is  adapted  to  certain  inferior  uses.  There  are  two 
steamboats  building  in  Winnipeg  now,  to  tow  lumber  on  the 
lakes.  If  the  limestone  quarries  of  the  Red  River  are  ever 
exhausted,  drafts  can  be  made  to  any  amount  upon  the  clitl's  of 
the  lake.  There  is  also  said  to  be  a  good  sandstone  exposed  on 
the  southeast  shore. 

Early  in  the  morning  of  the  second  day  after  leaving  Winni- 
peg, the  steamer,  after  passing  through  a  group  of  verdure-clad 
isUuuls,  rounded  a  rather  bolder  limestone  cape  than  common, 
and  entered  the  mouth  of  a  magnificent  stream,  half  a  mile  wide, 
flowing  with  a  deep,  swift  current  from  the  west,  and  soon  came 
in  sight  of  the  CJrand  Rapids  of  the  Saskatchewan.  This  stream 
has  none  of  th.e  characteristics  of  the  Saskatchewan  as  describeil 
by  travelers  who  have  seen  the  upper  course  only,  except  its 
swiftness.  The  banks,  thoi;gh  low,  are  rocky,  and  the  bottoin 
the  same  ;  and  the  water,  though  not  clear,  has  lost  the  muddy 
look  of  the  prairies.     Even  at  the  mouth  the  water  has  a  restless, 


THE    BRITISH    NOUTHWKSr. 


28 


lively  motion  that  carries  the  eye  back  to  the  first  point  of  the 
white  line  of  the  Grand  Rapid,  fonr  miles  above.  Within  this 
fonr  miles  is  an  mieciualed  harbor,  with  deep  water  close  to 
shore.  The  stcamei-landinj^  is  about  two  miles  up.  and  the 
same  distance  from  the  foot  of  the  rapid.  Here  the  Hudson 
Bay  Company  has  a  store,  thouiifii  the  post  proper  is  abo\e  the 
rapid.  The  river  narrows  ra[Mdly  from  its  mouth,  until,  at  the 
swiftest  point  of  the  rapid,  it  is  only  an  eighth  of  a  mile  wide. 

A  b  o  V  e  it 
widens  to, 
perhaps,  a 
quarter  of  a 
mile. 

The  steam- 
er  s[)ent  the 
whole  (lav 
here,  un 
1  o  a  d  i  n  g 
goods  for 
p  o  i  n  t  s  i  n 
the  interior 
from  Cimi- 
b  e  r  1  a  n  d 
House,  a 
few  miles 
u[)  the  river 
to  J  a  s p e  r 
House,  in 
the  R  ock V 


M 


o  untanis. 


THE  SASKATCHEWAN   ABOVE  GRAND    RAPID. 


and    remot- 
er posts   on 


ni 


the  great  Arctic  rivers.  Since  the  establishment  of  stca 
navigation,  Grand  Rapid  has  become  an  important  distribut- 
ing point;  perhaps  foreshadowing  the  great  city  that  will 
rise  here  when  the  scattered  traders   in   the  interior  shall  have 


mo- 


th( 


given  place  to  a  dense  population.      The  work  of  unload 
steamer  was  done  l)y  Indians,  who  assembled  here  for  tlie  pur- 
pose from  up  and   down  the  lake  ;  and  whose  <)id\-   maintenance 


24 


THE    BKllISH    NOIlTinVKST, 


J? 


I    si' 


4' I 


is  their  precarious  caniin<^s  in  this  way.  and  tlic  prochict  of  their 
fertile  fisheries,  even  more  productive  liere  than  elsewhere  on  the 
lake.  W'hitelish  are  scooped  out  in  nets  by  the  barrel,  and  stur- 
geon of  from  fifty  to  150  pounds  are  taken  at  will  by  the  Indian 
fishermen.  Our  party  devoted  itself  for  some  hours  to  the  cap- 
ture of  the  humbler  pike,  who  were  pulled  out  of  the  eddies  at  the 
foot  of  the  rapids  until  the  most  enthusiastic  fishermen  were  cloyed 
with  sport,  iuul  permitted  their  captives  to  wrioylc  otV  the  hook. 
About  noon  ue  were  warned  to  piepare  for  tlie  most  exciting 
incident  of  the  whole  voyage  —  the  running  of  the  Grand  Rapid 


m  a 


boat.      To   do    this   it  was   necessar\'   to  asceud,  by  a 


port- 


age 


four  miles  long,  to  a  point  seven  miles  distant  by  river, 
where  there  is  another  steamboat-landing,  wlience  the  company's 
steamers  depart  for  the  Upper  Saskatchewan.  All  the  company's 
goods  are  transhipi^ed  over  this  portage,  though  formerl\ .  when 
they  were  transported  in  open  boats,  it  was  customary  to  run  the 
raj^id  coming  down.  About  four  years  ago  the  transhipment 
was  much  facilitated  by  the  construction  across  the  portage  of  a 
substantial  iron  tramway  ;  certainly  the  most  northern  railway, 
of  any  sort,  on  the  continent,  over  which  loaded  cars  are  rapidly 
drawn  by  horses.  Our  party  was  loaded  upon  one  of  these  cars, 
and  the  steamer's  yawl  upon  another.  A  ride  of  half  an  hour, 
with  a  single  stop  to  photograph  the  railway,  brought  us  to 
Grand  Rapitl  post,  in  charge  of  Mr.  William  Clark,  a  clean 
and  attractive  cottage  and  storehouse,  surrounded  by  a  lot  of 
dirty  and  repulsive  squaws  and  children.  Little  time  was  lost 
getting  the  boat  into  the  water,  and  the  party  into  the  boat. 
Tiiere  were  five  passengers,  three  Indian  oarsmen  and  an  intelli- 
gent half-breed  pilot,  Joe  Atkinson,  famous  for  skill  as  a  sturgeon 
fisher  and  river  lore.  He  guided  the  craft  with  u  long  steering 
oar  in  the  stern  ;  and  for  the  first  mile  the  boat  was  rowed  tran- 
quilly across  the  stream  from  the  mouth  to  the  south  shore,  in  a 
swift  but  smooth  current.  Then,  as  the  breakers  came  in  sight, 
an  invisible  hand  seemed  to  seize  her  keel  and  hurry  her  onward. 
From  this  point  there  was  no  more  rowing,  except  just  enough 
to  keep  the  boat-head  to  the  breakers ;  and  the  roar  of  the 
waters,  the  heavy  plunging  of  the  boat,  and  the  excited  cries  of 
the  Indians  to  each  other,  with  the  sight  of  rocks  and  breakers, 
aroused  every  sense  to  the  liveliest  activity. 


THE    BKITISH    NORTHWEST 


25 


■'I.', 


Only  a  few  moments  after  cnteriii*;  the  breakers  there  wi 


IS  a 


at. 


;li 


)f 


sensation  of  genuine  ahirm  among  the  inexperienced  passengers. 
As  I  said,  we  entered  the  -upid  on  the  south  side.  Just  ahead 
of  us  a  limestone  cliff  jutted  out  into  the  stream,  and  just  at  its 
base  the  water  plunged  downward  ni  a  long  swirl,  at  an  angle 
of  thirty  degrees,  ending  a  great  dash  of  foam  where  the  water 
struck  the  rock.  We  seemed  to  he  plunging  straigiit  for  tliis, 
in  spite  of  the  efforts  of  the  crew  ;  l)ut  tlicre  was  not  time  for  a 
thought  of  danger  before  we  shot  past  or  through  it,  just  outside 
the  rock  and  foam,  and  found  ourselves  in  a  quiet  eddy  behind 
the  rock,  where  an  Indian  jumped  asliore  to  make  fast  tlie  boat. 
It  seems  the  pilot  had  beer,  told  to  land  here,  to  permit  the  pho- 
tographer to  take  views  of  the  rapid,  and  a  better  place  could 
not  have  been  chosen.  Rocky  hanks  twenty  feet  high  overlooketl 
the  rapid  both   above  and  below,  and  revealed  its   formation   at 


'1: 


a  glance. 


Til 


)f  til 


hitherto    fl( 


th 


lougl 


le  course  ot  tlie  river,  liiinerlo  llowmg 
tertiary  alluvium,  is  here  interrupted  by  the  wall  of  Siku-ian 
limestone  that  bounds  this  geological  region.  Probablv  it  once 
fell  over  this  ledge  in  a  great  fall,  but  in  the  course  of  ages  it  has 
cut  its  way  through  in  a  rapid  three  miles  long,  with  a  fall  (jf 
forty-three  feet.  A  mile  below  the  clilf.  wliere  we  stopped,  was 
the  most  contracted  point  of  the  stream,  where  it  rusiic.!  between 
precipitous  rock  banks  twenty  t'eet  hi^h.  Lower  down  the  hanks 
become  clay  and  drift.  For  the  whole  three  miles  there  is  not  a 
foot  of  smooth  water.  It  is  all  a  surging  flood,  swelling  in  the 
open  channel  into  waves  six  feet  apparently  from  trough  to  crest, 
and  near  shore,  or  where  currents  meet,  as  below  the  single 
island  that  interrupts  the  stream,  breaking  up  into  the  most 
tumultuous  cross  sea  imaginable.  The  stream  is  generall\  deep, 
and  with  few  rocks,  making  the  running  more  exciting  tliaii 
dancrerous.  Our  course  from  the  edcU'  was  through  nearlv  three 
miles  of  this  boilinji  current,  'jjenerallv  on  the  south  side,  but 
sometimes  in  the  middle  of  the  stieam.  The  boat  plunged  a 
good  deal  in  the  heavy  swell,  rising  on  the  crest  of  a  wave  with 
her  bows  in  the  air,  and  pLinging  with  a  crash  into  the  next, 
sending  a  shower  of  water  o\  er  the  unlucky  forward  passengers. 
I  returned  to  the  post  in  the  afternoon,  and  ran  the  rapid  a 
second  time  in  a  birch-bark  canoe,  with  two  Indian  paddlers. 
The  experience   was  pleasanter  and  more  exciting  than  in  the 


'■'■:   1 

% 


'is, 


I 

% 


% 


H   ' 


'J- 


I     1 
'  Iff''' 


26 


THE    IJItlTISII    N(iK  rilWKST. 


boat.  The  fraj^ile  crafr,  in  wliose  bottom  I  sat,  with  only  half 
an  inch  of  hark  between  me  and  the  boiling  Hood,  rode  buoy- 
antly the  waves  thi()U<jh  which  the  boat  plunt^ed,  and  shipped 
scarcely  any  water.  The  vestal  lire  oi'  my  pipe,  in  spite  of  a 
good  deal  of  care,  was  extinguished  in  the  boat.  In  the  canoe 
the  sacred   spark  burned  steadily  from  beginning  to  end.     The 


i,r-, 


7^n 


-J 


._J 


GRAND  RAPID  OF  THE  SASKATCHEWAN  —  Looking  Down. 


boat  made  the  three  miles  of  rough  water  in  half  an  hom".  the 
canoe  in  half  the  time.  I  tried  to  get  some  basis  for  comparison 
between  these  and  the  St.  Lawrence  rapids,  but  could  find  no 
one  who  had  seen  both.  These  are  certainly  shorter  tlian  the 
scries  of  rapids  near  Montreal ;  and,  though  quite  as  swift  and 


THE    BIUTISII    NOKTUWEST 


27 


declivitous,  are  less  intercepted  by  n,cks,  and,  I  think,  to.m  a 
less  formidable  obstruction  to  navigation.  Stion^r  steamers,  built 
for  the  purpose,  could  both  ascend  and  descend  tliem  with  the 
aid  ot  trackling  ropes. 

The  rest  of  tlie  afternoon  was  spent  in  takino-  photoijiaphs  and 
visiting  scenes  and  objects  of  interest  about  the  landino-.  A  dog- 
team  was  harnessed  to  a  sledge  for  our  benefit,  and  went  througli 
the  evolutions  as  well  as  possible  on  the  bare  ground.  ThJle 
beasts,  which  are  a  large  hound  witli  pointed  ears  and  shaggy 
fur,  look  like  a  cross  between  tlie  familiar  Esquimaux  pet  ami 
the  mastiff.  They  are  exceedinglv  intelligent,  and  are  driven 
tandem  in  fours.  They  will  draw  a  man  sixty  miles  in  a  day. 
Ihe  boat  finished  her  unloading  and  left  for  the  Nelson  River 
about  S  o'clock  ;  but  I  have  something  more  to  say  about  the 
Saskatchewan  before  going  on  with  her,  for  which  there  is  not 
room  in  this  chapter. 


■'.■<♦ 


fl». 


-^v 


l-^'^-i^ 


.7 

"V; . 

f 


}m 


i: ; 


S^^J^-gS^^Ig 


flit 


IV. 


UP  LAKE  WINNlPECi. 


P- 


THK  SASKATCIIICWW  KlVKIi  AM)  VAM.KY  AND  ITS  RESOURCKS  —  AGRICUL- 
TURAL WONOKRS  OF  TUL;  I'liAClC  RIVIiR  COUNTRY  —  MINKRAL  WEALTH 
OF  THE  I  1'1'ER  .SASKATCHEWAN  —  MANUFACTURING  CAPABILITIES  OF 
THi;  CJRAND  RAI'ID  —  NELSON  RIVER,  IT>  PAST  AND  FUTURE  —  THE 
SIIOHTEST  OCEAN  ROUTE  TO  EUROPE  —  THE  EAST  SIDIC  Ol  THE  LAKE 
—  RED  RIVER  AND   1T>  CULTIVATED  SHORES   AHOVi:   SELKIRK. 

I  have  written  alxnit  the  physical  features  and  natural  aspect  of 
the  mouth  of  the  Saskatchewan,  its  atlracticMis  to  the  tourist  and 
sportsman.  This  is  tiie  least  important  point  of  view.  The 
reflecting  miiul  will  rather  view  this  nii<ijlity  water  channel  as  the 
gatewav  to  an  undeveloped  agricultural  and  mineral  eni|)ire, 
unsurpassed  by  any  unoccupied  region  upon  the  continent.  The 
Saskatchewan  River,  when  slightly  improved  and  opened  to  nav- 
igation, is  to  he  the  great  ally  of  the  Canadian  Pacific  Railway 
in  imlocking  to  the  world  resources  of  industrial  wealth  vet 
undreamed  of.  From  Grand  Rapid  two  steamers  of  the  Hudson 
Bay  Company  now  navigate  the  river  1.200  miles  to  Fort  I'2dinon- 
ton,  passing  for  most  of  the  way  through  land  fit  t"or  the  cultiva- 
tion of  the  cereals  and  root  crops,  and  for  grazing  on  a  large  scale. 
Capt.  Pallisser  estimated  the  extent  of  the  valley  of  the  Saskatch- 
ewan at  65,000,000  square  miles,  of  which  one-third  is  arable. 
Other  explorers  have  thought  this  too  small.  The  onlv  cultiva- 
tion yet  attempted  in  this  region  is  on  small  tracts  about  the 
Hudson  Pay  posts.  Mr.  Ross,  of  Norway  House,  who  has  lived 
all  through  the  vallev,  told  me  the  finest  wheat  and  barlev  in  the 
world  was  raised  and  harvested  year  after  year  in  the  short,  fervent 
summers  of  these  high  latitudes.     The  season  lasts  from  the  end 


h.. 


Tllli    niUTISIl    NOUTHWKST 


•Jl« 


I 


of  April  to  the  middle  of  October,  and  summer  frosts  are  seldom 
severe  enoiij^ii  to  injure  cereals.  A  few  jj;raiiis  of  oats,  apparently 
ori<ijinatin<i[  spontaneously  in  a  field  of  barley,  the  original  seed  of 
which  was  brought  from  Enj^land  thirty  years  ajjo,  saved  and 
multiplieil  from  year  to  year  by  Mr.  Koss,  finally  produced  a  held 
of  magnificent  grain  of  a  new  species  and  unprecedented  produc- 
tiveness. Potatoes  a  foot  long  are  a  common  product.  TIu* 
fitness  of  the  cor.ntry  for  grazing  is  demonstrated  l)y  the  tact  tliat 
stock  used  in  traveling  subsists  in  the  winter  upon  tlie  naturally- 
cured  grass  found  under  the  snow,  and  sta'iled  stock  conns  out  fat 
and  strong  on  no  other  feed  tiian  the  wild  hav  of  the  countrv. 
Mr.  Ross  has  also  been  stationed  for  years  in  the  Peaie  River 
country,  and  conlirmed  to  me  the  vague  reports  of  travelers  of  its 
mildness  and  fertilitv.  Here  is  a  reuion  hiiifj  north  of  the  Sas- 
katchewan  Valley,  at  least  as  great  in  extent  and  as  mild  in  climate 
and  tertile  in  soil.  Mr.  Ross  describes  the  season  as  about  the 
same.  Tiiere  arc  two  sections  to  the  valley,  a  narrow  belt  of 
alluvial  land  along  the  river  and  a  high  plateau  above,  both  fitted 
for  cultivation,  and  the  latter  for  grazing  also.  This  coinitiy, 
like  the  extreme  upper  Saskatchewan,  is  abundantly  wooded. 

Unlike  the  prairie  section  to  the  east,  the  upper  Saskatchew^an 
and  Peace  River  country  adds  incalculable  mineral  wealtii  to 
agricultural  capabilities.  The  gold  mines  on  the  headwaters  of 
the  Saskatchewan  and  its  tributaries  are  among  the  hoary  tradi- 
tions of  the  country.  There  arc  many  places  on  the  lower  river 
where  the  color  of  gold  may  be  obtained  by  washing  its  sand,  and 
many  persons  believe  tliat  the  gold  mines  of  British  Columbia, 
wdiich  exported  nearly  a  million  of  dollars  annually  twenty  years 
ago,  will  be  outdone  by  future  discoveries  on  the  west  slope  of 
this  mountain.  But  tiie  region  has  surer  mineral  wealth  than 
quartz  claims.  Lignite  is  not  more  abundant  on  the  Little  Missouri 
than  Cretaceous  coal  on  the  Saskatchewan  about  Edmonton  and 
the  Peace  River.  This  coal  is  of  the  same  sort  as  that  mined  for 
commercial  purposes  on  Vancouver's  Island,  and  has  long  been 
used  in  the  smithies  of  the  Hudson  Bay  posts.  It  is  said  to  possess 
the  bituminous  quality  lacking  in  the  lignite,  though  this  seems 
a  geological  anomaly.  But  the  Athabaska  River,  near  the  Peace, 
has  liquid  bituman,  natural  coal  tar,  in  great  lakes  like  those  of 
Trinidad  in  Brazil,  promising,  perhaps,  petroleum  oil  wells  to 


■*■; 


V.,' 


y 


i. 


^7 


';>; 
'i^" 


'■%■: 


I.'. 


;jo 


THE    HKITISIC    NOirrilWEST 


.1. 


iJ* 


PI 


the  discoverers  of  the  future.  'I'lic  captain  of  the  Colvile  had  seen 
the  IC(hnoiitoM  coal,  and  pronounced  it  better  for  his  hii^h  pressure 
en<fines  than  tiie  Iowa  article  and  eiiuai  to  tiiat  he  was  usini,'  on 
the  present  trip,  w  liicli  appeared  to  be  IJrier  Hill  of  <;ood  (juality. 
Fartlier,  the  i'eace  River  lias  bo<4  iron  ore  or  hieniatite  of  y;ood 
(luality  and  in  threat  ([uantity.  oidy  waitinjf  for  the  hand  of  the 
smelter,  and  Mr.  Ross  had  heard  of  copper  and  silver  ores  in  the 
mountains. 

The  Saskatchewan  is  the  natural  chaiuiel  destined  in  the  future 
to  conduct  all  its  industrial  wealth  to  tlie  worhl's  markets.  It 
siiall  be  to  the  countrv  at  the  foot  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  what 
the  Mississippi  is  to  the  Nortlnvest.  Down  its  rapid  current  shall 
lloat  the  steamboat  and  bar<i,e  lines  of  the  future,  cc^nveyinin"  its 
wheat,  perhaps,  to  the  seaboard  ;  |)eihaps,  to  a  new  Canadian  Min- 
neapolis. buiU  upon  its  magnificent  water  power  ;  and  its  coal  and 
ore  to  the  treeless  prairies  of  its  lower  banks,  ;uid  the  foundries 
and  mills  of  futuie  Canadian  Pittsburffs  and  Lowells.  There  is  a 
nearer  future  and  a  more  accessible  commercial  resource  than  this. 
North  of  the  Saskatchewan,  and  penetrated  l)y  its  lacustrine  net- 
work of  tributaries  near  Cumberland  House,  are  tlie  •'■  stronjj^ 
woods,"  the  lower  vih^c  of  the  j^reat  forest  of  the  Arctic  zone  with 
its  uncounted  stores  of  hardwood  and  northern  pine.  Its  channel 
otters  a  ready  i)ath  over  wliicli  tiie  lumbermen  of  the  neai'  future 
shall  bring  from  these  timbei-  tor  the  cities  of  the  south  and  the 
future  saw  mills  of  the  Grand  Rapid.  At  Prince  Albert,  on  the 
lower  ri\  er,  there  are  alreadv  two  saw  mills,  industriouslv  cuttiniif 
spruce  and  hardwood  into  luml)er  for  a  thriving  settlement. 

Leaving  the  mouth  of  the  Saskatchewan  and  its  magnificent 
possibilities,  the  Colvile  steamed  away  in  the  northern  twilight  o^' 
Friday  evening  towards  the  most  northerlv  post  on  the  lake,  at 
the  point  where  it  is  discharged  through  Nelson  River  into  Hudson 
Hay.  Twenty  miles  from  the  lake  on  this  ri\  er  is  Norwav  House, 
once  tin-  most  important  company's  post  in  this  region,  and  the 
place  where  the  annual  council  was  held.  That  was  when  the 
company's  way  of  communication  with  the  outside  world  was 
Hudson  Bay,  and  all  its  traffic  with  Europe  went  and  came  by 
ocean  vessels  to  York  Fort,  and  thence  over  a  hard  passage  by  boat 
and  ]iortage  to  Norway  House.  Nelson  river  if,  not  and  never 
can  be  navigable.     It  breaks  through   the   granite   chain    of  the 


rinc  mniisii  ndhtmwkst. 


:n 


Laiircntidcs  as  the  Saskatclawaii  hrcaUs  tlnoiij;!!  the  >li<4litt.r 
harrier  of  the  Silurian  limestone,  and  its  whole  course  is  i)i()ken 
by  furious  and  impassable  rapid. 

Since  the  openiiijr  of  a  watfi  and  rail  outlet  tiu(.ui,di  Ueil  River, 
the  j^lorv  of  Norway  House  lias  (kparted  and  I'ort  (iarrs  has 
succeeded  it  as  the  companv's  capital.  The  steamer  did  not  <;() 
up  to   Norway    House  on   account   of  the    dillicidt    cliainiei.    but 


POST  AT   BEREN'S   RIVER. 

dischar^j^ed  freiglit  at  Warren's  Landin;^.  at  the  month  of  the  river, 
whence  it  was  taken  up  in  York  boats,  ^^rcat  unwieldy  craft 
moved  with  Ion*;"  sweeps  and  carrving  about  four  tons  of  freis^ht 
each.  Mr.  Ross  let't  us  here  to  continue  his  homeward  trip  in  a 
canoe.  There  are  two  brandies  of  the  Nelson,  only  one  of  whicli 
we  saw.  It  w;is  apparently  about  a  (piarter  of  a  mile  wide,  but 
as  it  passes  at  once  into  a  lake  the  estimate  with  the  eve  was  not 


:\'2 


tup:  niUTisii   nuktiiwicst 


4 


Hi 

i 

SSI- 


^11 

P 
II 

k 

,,  111: 
Hi; 

ft 


IS' 


It 
111' 


easy.  The  banks  were  low  aiul  wooded,  with  occasional  rounded 
masses  of  "-ranite.  While  the  steamer  was  imloadinsj  we  rowed 
three  miles  down  the  river,  lindin"^  a  stilV current  for  thiee  amateur 
oarsmen  on  our  return,  but  fmdinjjc  reward  for  our  exertions  in  a 
beautiful  expanse  of  clear  water,  studiletl  with  screen  islands  and 
prodigal  oi'  fish.     It  iigures  on  the  map  as  Playgreen  Lake. 

It  would    be  an  oversi":ht  to  leave  the  Nelson  River  without 
some  reference  to  the  brilliant  future  dreamed  of  for  this  region 
by  some  bold  speculators,  as  the  future  outlet  of  the  entire  North- 
west  to   the   ocean    and   the    ports   of   Europe.     Geographically 
speaking,   the   mouth  of   Nelson   River   is   not   only   the   nearest 
ocean  port  to  the  northwest  territory,  but  it  is  nearer  to   Liver- 
pool by  sea  than   any   port  on    the   north   Atlantic   coast.      The 
route   is  by   the  Davis  Strait  and  the  south   coast  of  Greenland, 
and   the   oiily  ditficulty  is  that   it    is  closed    by   the   ice  for  nine 
months  in  the  year.      The  bay  is  regularly  visited  in  the  summer, 
however,   by  the  sailing  vessels  of  the  Hudson   Bay   Compan}', 
which  leave  nortli  of  Scotland  ports  in  June  and  start  back  from 
York  Factory  in  .September.     A  steamer  is  engaged,  the  present 
simimer,  in   making  the   trip  from   St.  John's,  N.   I'^.,  to  York 
Factory  and  back,  to  test  the  feasibilitv  of  steam   navigation  of 
the  Bay.     The  other  part  of  the  plan  is  tiie  building  of  a  railroad 
from    Xorwa}'  House  to  York   Factory,   following   as  nearly  as 
may  be  the  course  of  the  river.      It  can  be  built  for  $5,000,000  or 
$6,000,000,  oi-  less  than  tne  cost  of  the  Canadian  Pacific  section 
from  vSelkirk  to  Thunder  Bay.     Charters  for  such  a  road  were 
obtained  from  the  last  Dominion  Parliament,  and  explorations  of 
the  route  are  to  be  made  this  year.      If  this  dream  of  a  Hudson 
l?ay  route  to  Europe  is  ever  realized,  it  will  become  the  outlet  of 
the  great  Saskatchewan  belt,  as  the  Canadian  Pacific   is  that  of 
the  great  soutliein   belt  of  fertile  territory.      Perhaps  one   great 
milling   centre  of  the   future,   located  at  the  grand  rapid  of  the 
Saskatchewan,  will   grim!   the  wheat  of  its  valley  for  export  by 
Hudson    I)ay.    while    another    on    the    rapid     oi     the    Winnipeg 
River  will   grind   that  of  the  soutliern   belt,  and  two  streams  of 
bread   material   instead  of  one  will   How  from  the  tVozen  North- 
west to  feed  liie  starving  millions  of  temperate  Europe. 

Leaving  tiie  Nelson  River,  we  at  last  turned  southward,  and  a 
run  of  about  ten  hours  more  brought  us  to  the  Companv's  main 


,  «> 


Lt 


THE  BKITISH  NORTHWEST. 


38 


I 


post  oil  the  ciKst  side  of  the  hike,  north  of  Mic  mouth  ot"  the 
Winnipeg — Beren's  River.  Here  is  ipiite  an  exteiisi\e  store  ami 
a  consideral)le  Indian  popidation  for  trathnj^  purposes,  scatteied 
thinly  over  a  reservation  reacliiii<4'  tiiree  or  tour  miles  into  the 
interior.  The  chief  interest  ncien's  River  has  for  the  visitor  is 
icsthetic.  It  is  the  most  picturesque  spot  we  saw  on  tiie  lake. 
The  whole  shore  is  dark  rounded  masses  of  irranite.  co\ered  with 
a  thin  coverini^  of  ve^etahle  mould,  supporting"  a  .^wmhre  growth 


VIEW   ON    BEREN'S  RIVER  — Lake  Winnipeg. 


of  spruce  and  tamarack.  Thi-ouj^h  this  steals  the  ri\er,  llowiui;- 
ahout  200  feet  wide  with  a  slow  current,  winding;-  in  and  out 
amon<3^  rock\-  eminences,  and  finally  reaching-  the  lake  hy  several 
channels  separated  h\'  islands,  some  verdure  clad,  some  hare  i  ul 
gray.  Tiie  water  is  stained  hlack  l\v  the  })eat  of  the  swamps  at 
its  source,  and  the  whole  aspect,  though  there  is  nothing  low  y,v 
swampy   ahout    it,    is    somher.     The    passage    to    the   light   and 


34 


THE   BiUri^lI    NORTHWEST. 


freshness  of  the  open  lake,  through  dozens  of  ishmds  of  all  sizes,  is 
charming  for  tiie  passengers,  th(nigh  somewhat  anxious  for  the 
captain,  on  account  of  the  number  of  sunken  rocks  in  the  channel. 

Two  Indians  paddled  me  tluee  or  four  miles  up  the  river  while 
the  steamer  was  discharging,  and  I  found  the  somber  beauty  of 
the  debouchure  repeated  and  intensified.  There  is  said  to  be  a 
fine  rapid  some  twelve  miles  up.  Tlie  Indians  tokl  me  there  was 
good  pine  timl^er  up  the  stream,  and  undertook  to  point  out  iis 
begiiniing,  but  what  tliey  indicated  were  only  larger  spruces.  I 
was  told  there  is  no  good  pine  on  the  lake.  Among  the  objects 
of  curi(nis  interest  at  the  Beren's  River  post  are  a  novel  fish  pond 
made  bv  enclosing  a  part  of  the  lake  with  a  heavy  stockade,  and 
containing,  when  we  were  there,  some  sixty  immense  stiugeon, 
for  the  fish  supply  of  tlie  place ;  and  an  extraordinarily  fine 
kennel  of  dogs,  said  to  be  the  largest  and  best  trained  on  the 
lake.  Some  of  them  are  as  large  as  the  largest  breed  of  New- 
foundlands. 

This  was  the  last  stopping  place  of  the  boat,  and  a  run  of 
twenty-four  hours  through  the  lake  and  river  brought  us  to  our 
starting  point  at  Colvile  Landing.  I  rom  here  to  Winnipeg  the 
scene  changed  surprisingly.  From  barren  shores  and  horseless 
woods,  we  sailed  by  cultivated  farms  and  neat,  prosperous  look- 
ing homes.  This  is  the  oldest  and  best  settl-d  part  of  the  Red 
River  \'alley,  peopled  with  the  descendents  of  the  original  Scotch 
and  French  Canadian  settlers.  In  many  places  the  farms  are 
cultivated  down  to  the  edge  of  the  clav  banks,  generally  twelve  to 
twenty  feet  high,  that  confine  the  river.  In  other  places  the 
banks  are  wooded,  or  give  place  to  green  meadows.  The  river 
here  has  quite  a  rapid  cinrent.  and,  with  the  varying  and  some- 
times gently  rolling  banks,  resembles  some  of  the  richly  cultivated 
valleys  in  the  Ohio  basin.  Sometimes  there  is  a  limectone  out- 
crop beneath  the  upper  clay  of  the  banks.  Below  vSelkirk  a  lime- 
stone ledge  crosses  the  stream,  making  a  considerable  rapid  and 
giving  opportunity,  on  the  east  side,  for  a  quarry  of  excellent 
building  stone,  which  is  already  industriously  worked.  Large 
quantities  of  tlie  stone  are  shipped  to  Winnipeg  and  points  on  the 
Canadian  Pacific. 

The  old  town  of  Selkirk,  named  after  the  historic  earl,  looks 
forlornly  from  the  bank  to  the  river,  about  twenty  miles  below 


• 


"■"i.'f 


THE  BRITISH  NORTHWEST. 


35 


Winnipeg.     This  was  originally  chosen  for  the  raihoad  crossing, 
and  saw  the  beginning  of  very  prosperons  times;  but  its  pro's- 
perity  has  departed  to  Winnipeg  with  the  change  of  route,  and 
the  price  of  a  single  town  lot  in  the  former  place  woukl  buy  the 
whole  site.     The  population  is  reduced  to  200  or  300  people,  too 
old,  feeble  or  unenterprising  to  get  away.     A  little  above  Selkirk 
is  another   fading    historic    landmark,    Lower    Fort    Garry,    an 
irregular  quadrangle  of  masonry,  with  loop-holes  for  musketry 
surrounding  a  peaceful,  finely  kept  lawn  and  neat  office's  quarters 
and  stores.     The  place  was  deserted,  even  by  the  usual  loafing 
Indians,  the  whole  population  of  the  neighborhood  having  assem- 
bled on  the  reservation  a  few  miles  below,  to  receive  their  annuitv. 
The  assemblage  on  the  bank  presented  a  picturesque  appearance 
as  v/e  passed,  with  their  clustering  tepees,  swarming  women  and 
children,  and  the  flotilla  of  canvass  and  trading  boats  on  the  river. 
Fort  Garry  was  once  the  most  impnrtant  post  on  the  Red  River. 
But  its  scepter  has   passed  to   the  Winnipeg  Garry,  as  that  of 
Selkirk  has  passed  to  the  city.     From  Selkirk  to  Winnipeg  is 
about  six  hours"  steaming,  and  we  finished  the  journey  without 
further  stop  after  leaving  the  Fort,   arriving  at  the  Company's 
wharf  about   2   o'clock,  wiiere  we  took  leave  of  tiie   hospitable 
Colvile  with  hearty  regret,— to  he  stunned  at  the  first  step  with 
the  almost  incredible  news  that  President  Garfield  has  been  assas- 
sinated three  days  before. 


i'\j. 


"H'l 


,f  ,11 


^-r^-j 


V. 


THE  LAKE  OF  THE  WOODS. 

A  REGION  OF  ROCKS.  WOODS  AND  WATERS  —  OLD  AND  NEW  ROUTES 
ACROSS  THE  LAURENTIAN  BELT — THE  THUNDER  BAY  SECTION  OF 
THE  CANADIAN  PACIFIC — GEOLOGICAL  FORMATIONS  —  ENCilNEERING 
DIFFICULTIES  —  A  SPECTRAL  JOI  RNEY  —FLOATING  AMONG  A  THOU- 
SAND ISLANDS—  MINERAL,  MANUFACTURING  AND  TIMBER  RESOURCES 
OF   THE    COUNTRY. 

The  tumultuous  belt  ot  countrv  lying  between  the  Red  River 
Valley  and  Lake  Superior,  though  without  attractions  for  the 
farmer,  is.  in  some  other  not  unimportant  respects,  the  most 
interesting  part  of  the  Northwest.  It  is  a  wilderness  of  prim- 
itive rocks,  reticulating  lakes  and  forest  streams  and  bottomless 
muskeg  swamps  ;  difficult  to  penetrate,  uninviting  as  a  residence, 
yet  teeming  with  animal  life  and  mineral  and  forest  wealth,  and 
presenting  a  tliousand  attractions  to  the  adventurous  tourist  and 
SDortsman.  I  have  penetrated  this  singidar  region  about  150 
miles,  from  the  edge  of  the  Red  River  Valley  to  the  northwest 
corner  of  the  Lake  of  the  Woods,  by  rail  and  water  routes,  and 
have  brought  away  impressions  enough  of  its  wild  and  varied 
beauty  to  make  a  small  volume  instead  of  a  long  letter.  Before 
the  projection  of  the  Canadian  Pacific  Rjiilway  there  were  three 
canal  and  portage  routes  through  this  country  :  the  old  North- 
west Company's  route  through  the  chain  of  lakes  along  the 
American  boundarv  ;  the  route  recommended  to  the  Canadian 
government,  by  Mr.  Simon  Dawson,  and  bearing  his  name,  from 
Thunder  Bay  by  land  to  the  Seine  River,  down  that  stream  to 
Rainy  Lake,  and  thence  to  the  Lake  of  the  Woods;  and  tlie 
route  followed  by  Professor  Hinds,  in  1S58,  from  Thunder  Bay 
up  the  Kaministiquia  River,  thence  by  various  streams  and  port- 


THE  BRITISH    NORTHWEST. 


37 


ages  across  the  height  of  hind  to  Ruiny  Lake,  and  thence  to  the 
Lake  of  the  Woods.  All  these  routes  converged  to  Rat  Portage, 
the  point  where  the  Winiupeg  River  lea\es  the  Lake  of  the 
Woods,  and  thence  struck  across  the  prairie  bv  land  to  Fort 
Garry.  The  railway  takes  the  same  course,  and  R.at  Portage  is 
now  one  of  its  stations.  From  that  point,  however,  tiie  line 
strikes  north  of  the  Lake  of  the  Woods,  directlv  across  the  height 
of  land  to  Tiiunder  Bay. 

Accordingly  I  took  the  train  for  Rat  Portage,  in  the  Territory 
of  Keewatin,  the  day  after  my  return  from  the  Lake  Winnipeg 
trip.  For  the  first  thirty  or  forty  miles  west  of  the  Red  River 
the  country  is  like  most  of  that  on  the  east  side  of  the  valley, 
somewhat  low  and  wet,  with  clumps  of  stunted  shrubbery  dot- 
ting the  meadow.  East  of  that  the  scenery  begins  to  change. 
The  prairie  gives  place  to  muskeg,  and  the  shrubbery  is  suc- 
ceeded by  a  growth  of  tamarack,  poplar  and  other  trees,  constantly 
increasing  in  size  and  number  until  the  road  runs  through,  a  very 
respectable  forest.  The  water  changes,  too  ;  the  muddv  prairie 
rivulets  being  succeeded  by  more  rapid  streams  of  clear  water, 
stained  dark,  however,  by  the  bogs  along  their  course.  I  recog- 
nize in  the  familiar  features  of  the  Laurentian  region,  on  the 
east  shore  of  Lake  Winnipeg,  and  began  to  look  for  the  primi- 
tive rock  characteristic  of  it.  There  is  little  sign  of  settlement 
or  habitation  on  the  line  of  the  road.  The  first  considerable 
station  is  at  the  crossing  of  Whitemouth  River,  a  tributary  of 
the  Winnipeg.  This  is  a  sort  of  depot  for  timber  supply  along 
the  road.  Piles  and  ties  are  cut  along  the  streaiai.  and  floated 
down  for  use  in  the  construction,  both  east  and  west.  The  next 
point  is  Cross  Lake,  seventy-seven  miles  from  Selkirk,  where 
the  part  of  its  line  turned  over  to  the  syndicate  ends.  From  here 
to  Rat  Portage  the  government  is  finishing  the  line,  tiic  con- 
tractor having  surrendered  the  work,  after  exhausting  all  his 
funds  in  dumping  earth  into  the  bottomless  lakes  across  which 
the  intrepid  goveinment  engineer  chose  to  carry  the  line.  When 
I  was  there  the  road  was  graded  to  Rat  Portage,  though  two 
bridges  remained  to  be  built  across  the  two  branches  of  the  Win- 
nipeg, to  a  point  about  two  miles  from  the  river;  but  a  recent 
land  slip  in  one  of  the  treacherous  lake-fills  compelled  trains 
to  stop  six  miles  away,  where  passengers  are  transferred  by  boat. 


.n 


■Hk', 


I?; 


;ill' 


«' 


'I! 


;'»?>  THE  UKiriSII   NOKTIIWHST. 

At  Cross  Lake,  thirtv-scvcii  miles  from  the  Portaj^e,  the 
strange,  wikl  rejiioii  t)t"  the  Lauieiitian  chain  really  be<2^ins.  It  is 
tremendously  picturesque,  but  almost  inconceivably  (liilieult  rail- 
road construction.  Low  mountains  of  primitive  rock,  clothed 
with  tall,  slender,  half-starved  looking-  tamaracks,  growing'  on  a 
thin  soil,  or  in  cracks  of  the  rock,  rise  between  endless  chains  of 
small,  deep  lakes,  nearK  all  connected  with  each  other  through 
narrow  valleys.  There  is  no  distinct,  continuous  \alley,  and  the 
road  breaks  through  the  granite  masses  of  the  hills,  and  crosses 
the  lakes  as  best  it  c;ui.  These  mirror-like  lakes,  framed  in 
sombre  \e«fetation.  and  glittering  with  the  dark  metallic  sheen 
of  shaded  swamp  water,  are  full  of  wild  beauty,  and  full  of 
savage  terrors  for  the  civil  engineer.  The\  were  the  onl\  puth 
through  the  country  in  its  ante-iailroad  days  ;  and  the\  seem 
to  dispute  tiie  passage  of  their  civilized  rival  with  a  barbarian 
jealousy.  The  granite  luountains  are  a  trilling  barrier  compared 
with  these  lakes.  Nitro-glycerine  has  cut  a  smooth  path  through 
the  former,  and  the  trains  glide  luxuriously  over  a  solid  bed  ; 
but  the  lakes  still  forbid  their  passage.  They  have  steep  walls 
of  rock,  ot'ten  sloping  down  in  an  iuveited  cone,  whose  apex  is 
I  ^o  to  200  feet  below  the  water's  level.  When  f)ne  of  these 
frightful  [)its  is  filled  with  the  alluvial  washings  from  the  rocks 
it  becomes  a  nuiskeg,  which  is  a  greater  leiror  than  a  lake. 
A  muskeg  is  not  a  swamp  ;  supports  no  vegetation  except  a 
([uaking  covering  of  moss,  when  it  rises  above  the  watei'.  and 
contains  little  prophecy  of  t'uture  solid  ground.  The  water, 
unable  to  drain  olV  through  the  rockv  bottom,  remains  mixed 
with  the  washings  from  the  hill-sides,  in  a  black  liciuid  mass, 
through  which  a  pile  mav  be  driven  its  whole  length  bv  a,  sin<rle 
stroke,  and  which  engulfs,  literally,  cubic  miles  of  earth  without 
affording  a  solid  surface.  The  nuiskegs  are  crossed  In-  the  rail- 
rt)ad  b\  tilling  from  the  bottom  with  fragments  of  rock,  or  bv 
temporary  trestles  precariously  built  upon  the  sloping  bottom, 
or  planted  in  the  lifpiid  mud.  These  trestles  are  afterwards 
laboriously  filled  with  earth,  dumpetl  from  gravel  trains  run 
upon  them.  Two  steam  shovels  are  now  at  work,  day  and  night, 
at  this  filling  between  Cross  Lake  and  Rat  Portage.  This  end- 
less filling  is  what  has  exhausted  the  exchequer  of  the  contractor 
and  delayed  the  completion  of  this  section  two  years.     It  was  to 


If 


h 


rilK   lUMTISIl   NOKIIl\Vi:ST. 


39 


have  been  finislicd  July  i.  1S79.  Al  Cross  Lake,  which  is  cut 
ill  two  by  the  track,  earth  has  been  steathh'  ihtown  into  tlic  lake 
mouth  after  mouth,  at  a  cost  of  huuclreds  of  thousands  of  dollars, 
until  it  has  spread  out  and  formed  acres  of  solid  <fround  on  cither 
side  of  the  bank.  ^\t  Lake  Deception  a  solid  roadwav  had  been 
made,  with  infinite  pains  and  cost.  when,  sliortly  before  my  visit, 
an   immense  land-slide  down  the    slippery  declivity  of  the  lake 


LAKE  FILL— 'On  the  Thunder  S.  i    Branch. 


bottom  let  the  track  tall  down  in  a  hu^e  concave,  causiu:^'  the 
break  that  then  iuli'rrupted  Iraxel.  It  is  impossible  to  count 
the  cost  of  this  section  of  road.  di\  ided.  as  it  now  is.  between 
the  contralto-  and  ooxernmeiU.  but  it  must  be  estimated  at 
millions. 

(Jur  train  passed  Cross   Lake  earl\    in   the  evening-;  and  from 
there  to  the  end  the  iouruey  was  lull  of  \aried  interest.     Through 
7 


40 


THE    BHITISII    NORTHWEST. 


f\ 


!•!.• 


■  m 


]M 


deep  rocky  cuts  aiul  tunnels,  past  lake  after  lake,  over  lofty 
eiiibaukinents  and  tottcrinji^  temporary  trestles,  all  seen  and  felt 
in  the  magic  of  twilij^ht  and  moonlight,  the  trip  was  doubly 
worth  all  its  small  hardships.  The  fresh  rock  cuts  revealed  the 
primitive  lithology  of  the  region  to  perfection.  There  is  great 
varictv  in  the  rocks.  True  granite,  or  e\en  syenite,  is  rare. 
The  prevailing  rock  is  a  dark  dioritic  trap,  with  irregular  \ein- 
ings  and  splashes  of  impure  quartz.  There  is  some  quartzitc  in 
masses,  and  the  flesh  color  of  nearly  pure  feldspar  is  seen  in  many 
cuts.  On  the  lake-shore  and  islands  I  afterwards  saw  a  sort  of 
talcose  schist,  with  a  line  vertical  clcarage  in  large  plates  when 
disintegrated  by  water  action  :  and  was  told  of  large  veins  of  gold- 
bearing  quartz,  of  which  more  hereattei'.  The  beauty  of  some 
of  the  moonlight  elVccts  on  this  tedious  night's  journey  caiuiot  be 
surpassed  in  the  White  Mountains.  I  remember  one  long  line 
of  pure  cold  white  light,  seen  from  a  high  trestle,  stretching 
from  lake  to  lake,  broken  into  shimmering  ripples  by  the  jarring 
motion  of  the  train  communicated  to  the  banks,  extinguished  to 
dull  blackness  by  the  dark  masses  between,  and  kindled  again 
with  a  faint  luminous  green  upon  the  tree-tops  beyond.  At  one 
point  a  truly  diabolical  element  was  imparted  into  the  peaceful- 
ness  ol  the  scene  l)y  tlic  apparition  of  a  steam  shovel,  blazing 
out  a  shower  of  sparks  into  the  night,  witli  dusky  figures  hoarselv 
shouting  and  working  amidst  its  puffing  and  rattle,  seen  like  famil- 
iar demons  by  the  light  of  smoky  torches.  We  were  landed  about 
midnight  on  the  bank  of  an  arm  of  the  Winnipeg  River,  and 
guided  by  lanter'^s  down  a  declivity  where  York  boats  waited. 
Loaded  in  these,  a  spectral  moonlight  voyage  ot  two  miles  in  a 
winding  channel,  past  wooded  banks,  brought  us  to  a  short  port- 
age, over  which  we  scrambled  to  the  Lake  of  the  Woods.  New- 
boats,  tugs,  yachts  and  canoes  took  us  here,  bv  mysterious  wavs 
among  the  islets  and  iidets  of  tlie  lake,  to  the  town  of  Rat 
Portage,  where  we  found  clean  beds,  and  tired  sleep  about 
2  o'clock  in  the  morning. 

Opening  my  eyes  upon  Rat  Portage  and  its  surroundings  the 
next  morning,  dim  moonlit  waters  and  shadow-haunted  shores 
were  transformed  into  a  shining  lake  and  a  squalid  end-of-the 
track  town,  in  tlie  shanty  stage  of  its  municipal  exis'^-^nce.  The 
oidy  presentable  building  tlierc  is  a  hotel,  built  in  hopeful  antici- 


■» : 


rilK    nUITlSII    NOUTHWEST. 


41 


patioii  of  its  fame  as  a  watcriiij^-place.  already  l)c;j^iiiiiiiig"  to 
spread  thiouj^h  the  western  provinces.  Indeed,  qnite  a  large 
party  of  overworked  Winnipe^-gers,  as  well  as  several  gentlemen 
Irom  the  States,  the  former  accomi^anied  by  ladies  and  children, 
braved  the  present  dangers  of  tiie  Rat  Portage  ronte  on  this  very 
trip.  When  fast  daily  trains  are  nni  withont  interrnption  to  Rat 
Portage  it  is  certain  to  become  the  most  popular  summer  resort 
in  Western  Canada.  Then  the  town  will  prol)ably  spruce  up  a 
little.  At  present  the  less  said  about  it  the  better,  except  that  the 
tourist  can  find  comfortable  accommodations,  and  has  the  lake  at 
the  very  door  of  his  hotel,  with  a  fleet  of  yachts,  canoes  and  small 
steam  tugs  to  aid  him  to  ilv  from  this  one  little  spot  where  man 
has  spoiletl  nature's  iiandiwork,  to  the  tliousand  sylvan  recesses 
where  he  can  lind  her  in  all  her  purity.  Hefore  the  town  lies  the 
northern  extremity  of  the  Lake  of  the  Woods,  just  back  of  it  an 
arm  of  the  Winnipeg  River;  almost  in  sight  of  the  wliarves  are 
the  two  beautiful  falls  over  which  the  two  outlets  of  the  lake  begin 
their  downward  course  to  Lake  Winnipeg.  Op[)osite  them  the 
lake  stretches  away  more  than  a  hundred  miles  to  the  south  and 
west,  thougli  the  view  is  shut  in  to  tiie  narrow  limits  of  a  broad 
river  1)\'  the  verdant  slopes  of  a  thousand  closely  clustei'ing  islands. 
The  Lake  of  the  Woods  is  an  irregularly  circular  body  of  water, 
from  fifty  to  one  hundred  miles  in  diameter,  with  its  outline  inter- 
rupted by  a  large  re-entrant  promontory  from  the  west.  It  is 
about  one  thousand  feet  above  the  sea  level,  and  the  water  is  clear 
and  sweec.  Its  notable  characteristic  is  the  multitude  of  wooded 
islands  that  dot  its  surface  in  every  direction  and  make  a  voyage 
upon  it  resemble  a  trip  upon  a  sylvan  ri\cr  or  in  an  inclosed  bay. 
There  is  only  one  i)art  of  the  lake  where  there  is  a  wide  stretch 
of  open  water,  in  the  southwest  corner. 

I  saw  this  beautiful  sheet  of  water  to  admirable  advantage  in  a 
journey  of  some  fifty  miles,  with  a  party  of  railroad  engineers, 
from  Rat  Porta>re  to  White  Fish  Bav.  the  great  indentation  north 
of  the  promontory  above  referred  to.  This  j)assage  is  a  part  of 
tlie  regular  route  over  which  laborers  and  supplies  now  pass  to 
Ihe  eastern  end  of  the  contract  section  lying  east  of  that  now 
nearly  completed  to  Rat  Portage.  This  section  is  sixty-seven 
miles  lonsf  and  crosses  the  rockv  region  north  of  the  lake  to  meet 
the  line  now  pushing  east  from  Thunder  Bay.     It  is  said  to  be 


p. 


4i> 


rill':   liurnsii    nou  riiw  i;s  r 


'1,, 
'  li 


•  ■  i 


"  I 


ft 


ail  c'\cei.'cliii<;ly  louj^h  piece  of  work,  with  an  enormous  amount 
of  rock  ciiltin5.j  and  a  jL^reater  number  ol'  bottomless  lakes  than  ha\e 
])een  Ibund  west  of  the  \\'innij)e<j;.  'l"he  contractors  pre<lict  that 
the  (litliculty  and  delay  at  Cross  Lake  will  be  repeated  at  a  do/cn 
places  in  this  section.  There  are  rock  cutlinj^s  j.ooo  teit  lonjjj 
and  fifty  feet  hi_<;h,  antl  lunnbeiless  lakes  where  rods  and  piles 
scarcely   lind 

bottom.  'Vhv  1^,^ '^.'WJf<^WBi^t!m?!*| 
blast  in;4"  is 
vv  e  11  f  o  r  - 
ward,  antl  it 
is  I  h  o  u  y  h  t 
will  be  nearh 
finished  this 
year.  The 
filling  is  be- 
hind, ow  iuij 
to  a  chan;4e 
in  the  con- 
tract from 
rock  filling  to 
trestle  work, 
and  the  ilela\ 
in  the  com- 
pletion of  the 
section  next 
west,  making- 
it  necessar\ 
to  carry  all 
supi^lies  bv  a 
circuitous 
canoe  route. 

The  contractors  complain  bitterly  of  the  action  of  the  government  in 
changing  the  contract,  intimating  that  their  only  object  is  to  get 
the  road  l)uilt  as  cheapl\-  as  possible,  and  just  well  enough  to  run 
a  train  over  it  and  get  it  accepted  by  the  syndicate,  throwing  upon 
the  latter  the  trouble  and  expense  of  replacing  the  temporary  work 
when  it  breaks  down,  as  it  did  at  Cross  Lake.  On  the  other 
hand,   the   govenmient  engineers  claim   that  $1,000,000  will   be 


•fr* 


VIEW  ON  THE  LAKE  OF  THE  WOODS. 


,,  ,,,  .r. 
't,  >> 


I  IIK    Biurisll    NOKIIIWI.SI. 


4:5 


■ 


saved  hy  the  cii;mL;c  in  tlu'  contract,  and  that  the  lillini;'  can  he 
(lone  at  one-eiylith  tlie  cost  tVoni  ,nra\i'l  |)its  h\  trains  nwv  the 
temporary  work.  The  most  (thvions  hardships  of  tiic  contractors 
is  the  necessity  of  carryini;  every  poiuid  of  material  and  snpplies 
over  a  circuitous  route  of  100  miles  hv  hoat  and  portaLi;e  to  reach 
a  point  fifty  miles  distant  on  the  line  of  road.      In  spite  of  these 

dilliculties  it 
is  t  h  o  u  '^  h  t 
the  close  of 
the  present 
season  will 
see  a  i^ap  (A' 
oidv  twenty- 
live  miles  to 
the  line  from 
Tluinder  Bay 
to  Sei  k  irk. 
The  eastern 
division  will 
he  linished 
autl  the  con- 
tractors ex- 
pect to  build 
twenty- live 
miles  east  ol' 
Rat  I'orta'^e 
a  n  (1  li  ft  ee  u 
miles  on  tlu' 
east  enil  ot 
the  same  sec- 
tion. 

We  left  Rat  Portaoe  about  noon  of  a  beautiful  July  dav.  snugly 
packed  into  a  York  boat  with  sundry  sacks  of  corn  and  flour  and 
attached  to  a  small  steam  tu<;  by  a  lonjj^  rope  as  our  propelling 
power.  The  journex  lasted  until  evening  anc  was  the  perlection 
of  indolent  progress,  (iliding  swil'tly  through  smooth  water  past 
shores  and  islamls.  under  a  brilliant  sky,  every  hour  unrolled  new 
pictiu-es  of  sylvan  beauty.  We  were  hardly  ever  more  than  a 
gunshot  from  land,  and  the  green  islands  closed  so  closely  around 


RAT  PORTAGE  FALLS— Winnipeg   River. 


44 


riii:   iiitiiisii    sou  I  iiwi.si" 


%  ! 


•i7 


III 


»Ji 
(.'4 

it! 

p 

it] 


us  tli;it  it  was  (lifliciilt  to  iinas^inc  we  were  not  .Ljlidin'^  thi()ii«;li  a 
majestic  river  instead  of  a  lal<e  with  moie  tiiau  lifty  miles  nt"  water 
to  the  soiitli  ot'  us.  ICarlv  in  the  evening  we  turned  into  a  httle 
inlet  and  huided  at  the  month  of  a  clear  stream,  up  which  the 
route  la\  to  the  next  portage.  L'p  this  we  were  paddled  in  canoes 
two  or  three  miles  to  an  engineer's  camp  in  a  woodland  glen, 
whose  savage  heaiitv  seemed  almost  profaned  by  material  uses. 
The  stream  came  tumbling  down  in  a  series  of  pictures(iue  rapids 
l)etweeii  rockv  banks,  upon  whose  level  plateau  the  camp  was 
fixed.  Supper  and  a  refreshing  slumber  upon  nature's  bed  of  earth 
consumed  the  night,  and  in  the  morning  my  companions  startetl 
on  their  arduous  journev  of  liftv  miles  more  by  canoes,  and  over 
rocUy  i)ortages  to  ICagle  Lake  on  the  line,  while  I  retraced  the 
easy  part  of  the  passage  in  the  tug.  This  is  only  one  of  a  do/en 
charming  lake  trips  that  may  be  arranged  from  the  portage.  The 
longest  and  most  delightl'ul  is  said  to  be  that  through  the  whole 
length  of  tile  lake  and  u[)  the  Rainy  River  to  Fort  Frances,  where 
there  are  a  number  of  attractive  falls  and  lapids. 

I  spent  the  greater  part  of  the  next  day.  my  last  at  the  Portage, 
padtiling  ai)out  the  lower  end  of  the  lake  in  a  canoe.  Some  of  the 
islands  are  cpiite  highly  cultivated  and  yield  abundantly  of  garden 
vegetables.  Others  are  interesting  as  the  location  of  Indian 
gra\es.  The  main  objects  ot  interest,  however,  are  the  two  falls 
of  the  Winnipeg,  which  are  somewhat  dillicult  of  access  and 
attractive  in  their  unspoiled  natural  lieauty.  The  descent  in  each 
case  is  al)out  twenl\'  feet,  but  the  nearer  and  '  rger  fall  takes  half 
of  it  in  a  single  lea}),  making  a  boiling  caldron  of  pure  white  ibam 
that  contrasts  eH'ectivelv  with  the  dark  granite  rocks  tiiat  tower 
beside  it.  The  otiier  fall  is  a  rapid,  extending  over  an  eighth  of 
a  nnle.  with  a  fall  of  four  (jr  five  feet  at  fnie  point.  I  saw  an 
Indian  here  scooping  up  abundant  white  lish  with  a  hand  net. 
Indeed,  the  whole  lake  teems  with  fish,  from  the  sturgeon  to  the 
pike,  and  is  the  paradise  of  tlie  angler.  From  here  to  the  lake, 
the  Winnipeg  River  is  a  succession  of  falls  and  rapids.  No  less 
than  thirty-tw(j  portages  are  necessary  in  a  canoe  journey. 

It  must  not  be  supposed  that  the  I^ake  of  the  Woods  is  attractive 
only  as  a  tourist  and  summer  resort.  It  has  great  elements  of 
material  wealth  in  its  pine  forests,  even  if  the  hopes  of  the  san- 
guine speculators  who  build  upon  its  prospective  gokl  mines  arc 


\ 


'iiii.   iimiisii    \('i!  I  iiw  i;sr.  4.") 

blasted.  I  Iiad  lu-anl  a  \sinn\  deal  ahotit  tiiise  Rat  Portairc  sold 
mines  hetorc  I  went  llicrc.  and  as  usnal  found  tlir  entluisiasm 
concniiin^f  tiicni  in  diivcl  pioportinii  t..  tin-  distance.  There  is 
certainly  plenty  of  y;(ild-lieaiin<;-  (luart/  there,  hut  the  (|uesti<)n  of 
prolitahle  mining;  remains  an  open  one.  and  it  will  take  a  heavy 
investment  of  capital  to  settle  it.  The  oid\  vein  that  has  yet  hcen 
worked   is   that   upon    IJouldei    Islaiul.   which    was  verv  rich   in 


SAW   MILL  AND   BOOM  — Lake  of  The  Wools. 


specimen  nug<i^cts.  A  company  was  formetl.  and  a  few  thousand 
dollars  furnished  by  Mr.  Mannino-,  son  of  one  of  the  raihvav 
contractors.  They  houj^ht  a  five  stamp  mill,  and  w  cut  to  crusliint;' 
rock  upon  a  small  scale.  The  hrst  clean-up  was  made  *liortlv 
before  my  visit,  and  the  result  was  $26  in  gold  from  ten  tons  of 
quartz.     So  it  seems  the  wh(;le  vein  is  not  made  up  of  specimen 


I'' 


46 


Tin;  liKiiisii  \()K  I  ii\vi;.s  r 


:m^ 


miLi^jjjcts.  The  compaiu  chiiiiu-d.  however,  that  as  much  as  $()oo 
ill  n'oKi  \\  ;is  slicking"  in  the  new  phites  of  tiie  machine,  and  tiiat  the 
second  cleaM-u|)  would  result  better.  It  is  said  another  ([uart/.  \ein 
has  heen  discoxi-red  on  tin-  main  land.  twent\-one  leet  wide,  nuich 
more  pronnsini^'  than  that  on  JHiulder  Islands.  CertainK  the  rich 
nrneial  deposits  disco\  ered  on  tin-  shores  of  Lake  Superior  jnstiiV 
the  hopi"  that  this  side  oi"  the  hi'i^'ht  oi"  land  ma\'  not  jirovi-  w  liollv 
barren. 

The  I^ake  ot'the  Woods  has  a  surer  sf)urce  oi"  wealth,  howe\er, 
in  its  e\haustless  water  power  and  sloiies  of  \  aluable  pine  lumber. 
'I'he  shores  and  islands  are  coxeri'd  with  \orwa\  pine  of  the  best 
i[ualit\  with  some  whiti-  pine.  l^nteiprisinL;  lumbermen  have 
ac(|iiiie(l  the  best  timber  lands,  and  the  seaicli  is  still  ^"oiu<^-  on. 
'Inhere  is  one  mill  in  operation  at  Kat  Portage,  and  another  is  in 
coui'se  ol' construction  b\  W.  ).  Macaulax  .  tin- pioneer  hmdierman 
ol"  WiiniipeLC  who  had  just  launched  a  sidi'-\\  heel  sti'amer  u^o 
k'l't  lon;^,  to  be  used  in  tow  iiit;  huuber.  I'he  water  pow  ei  at  the 
Wimiipeij^  falls  alone  is  inexhauslibU-.  i5\  running'  canals  in 
dillerent  directions  thronL;h  the  island  filtN'  mills  could  be  supplied 
with  a  neV'  '  ■  '1nw.  Tiiis  promises  to  bo  the  future  lumber 
supply  and  milim:::  .enter  ilall  the  Northwest .  the  point  at  which 
the  'j^viuw  of"  the  prairie  district  wiU  be  conveited  into  llour  for 
shipnu'iit  to  Mdutieal  and  lOurope — in  tact,  aiothei"  Canadian 
lMinnea|)olis. 


i  ■ 


i' 


>  > 


^ 


,  .'■..! 
.1  ' 
I    1 


^  •'.■■' v.,  •'^■ 


-^  "^-^ '  K 


L 


it 


i1 


mti-s- 


■^.l  ih?rS&^- 


^\^^ 


VI. 


I'lir:  CANADIAN  i'ac'H'k;  l^\lL\VA^. 


III 


riiK    rivoT    AHoi  [•   wiinii    rill     mcu     nok  niw  i;s  r    wiiiui.s        i-kivaik 
KN  ii-.ki'Kisic  HK1N-..1N(,   i)uiii:k   or  r  or    im-  in  aos  di.    (.ox  i-i<.\.mi:\t 

MlSiM.\N.\(ii;MK.N  r  IIISIOKV     dl'       1,1   lOIMS       1()     Itt   ll.l)     A      KVMI.KUA!) 

AlUOSS     t-ANADA,     1-.NI)|\(;      IN       1  1 1  r,      T  ( )K  M  A  llON     Ol'      rni.     MoMKKAL 
SYNDKA  ri-.         TI'.K.MSOI      Till':  C<  >N  IK  Al    P  U  11  1 1   ( .( i  VI :  U  \  M  1   \  I  OKCAN- 

I/ATION    Ol'    Till'.    COMPANY    AM)    II  K( .  I  N  M  N  O    dl.     \V(i|<K. 


'I'lu-    C;iii;uli;iii    racilic    Knilwav.    (tlic    s\  ndicati'    lias   (.lian^ril 
the   lirst  word    in  liiis  corpoiati-  title  from   the  siil,staiiti\  e  to  the 
adjective,)    is  the    |)i\()t  ahoiit  which   this   coimtrv  re\dl\c's,   the 
pe^-  14)011  which  its  ho|)es  han-.      Winiiiped-  talks,  dreaius,  hows 
down  hefore.  speculates  on  and  Ii\es  in  tlie  midst  of  the  CaiuKUan 
I'aciiic    Railway.      Notwitlistandiiit;-    the    |)rospeiil\     w  liich    had 
l)e<i^un    to    <4i()W    hcie   ht'toic-    the    iail\va\    anived.    and    which    1 
have  tried  to  show  iiad  a  pohtical  origin,  thi"  axciadi-  W  iiinipi'ner 
treats  tlie  railway  as  the  loniitain   hea(i  ol"  his  iiiateiial  happini'ss 
and    the   arbiter   ol"    his    nuinicipa!    and    piivale    (U'stinies       The 
Canadian    I'acilic    Manaj^einenl    is    the    molocli    to    which    eveiv 
inhabitant    of  the    rrovince   tnnis    his  ap|)ealini;   of   propiliatiiiL; 
_i;^a/,e.    and    the  svndicate   is   a   \astl\    more    ini[)ortant   instilntion 
than    the    Dominion  Cabinet  at  Ottawa    in   the   local   estimalion. 
Perhaps  some  of  this  cmioiis  senlii'iviit    is  to   be  attribnti'd  lo  a 
habit     ol'    woishippin^-    a    j^ieat    corpoiatii)ii    contracted    bv    the 
|)ro\incials    when   the    llndson    l>a\    Conipanv  was  tlu'  absohit*.- 
monarch  of  their  terriloiy  ;   but  ceitainU   a   larne  share  ol    it    has 
i;r()wn  natnralU out  ol  the  commanding;-  position  which  llu"  li  ans- 
continenlal  railway  enterprise  has  snddenh  assumed  in  tlu'  iiands 
of   the    Montreal    .^xndicate.      I'^rom    a    li'eble    and    mismanaged 
8 


4S 


TIIK  niUTISII    NOU  riiw  ICSI'. 


#■• 


Hi: 


'I 


.)>  < 


.,1 


Jl' 

■  i\ 

■  ;   1. 


;4"(neriiment  iin(lcrtakiii<;',  (liaggin<j  slowly  over  wasted  years  and 
lavishinj^  countless  sums  of  puMic  money  without  visible  result, 
the  Canadian  Pacific  has  l)ecame  a  gigantic  pr''.aie  enterpiise, 
liherallv  subsidized  bv  the  (jo\ermnent.  but  vigorously  conducted 
1)\-  'ailway  managers  who  have  demonstrated  their  ability  by 
brilliant  success  in  similar  gigiaitic  undertakings.  As  a  govern- 
ment work,  the  construction  of  a  railway  across  the  Canadian 
l^art  of  the  American  continent  wrecked  two  successive  ministries 
and  nearlv  bankrupted  the  Dominion  lieasmy.  As  a  private 
enterprise,  it  promises  speechly  to  bind  together  the  scattered 
Provinces  of  the  Canadian  Confetleration  with  ties  of  iron,  to 
open  and  develop  an  immense  empire  of  the  richest  agricultural 
lands  in  British  AuKMica,  and  to  enrich  not  oidy  its  directors  but 
?iiiIHons  of  peo[)le  who  sliall  settle  along  its  line,  cultivate  the 
broad  acres  it  is  bringing  into  the  market  and  i'vcd  the  world 
with  grain  to  be  tiansported  to  the  seaboard  over  its  completed 
lines.  It  is  impossible  to  wiite  nuich  about  the  Northwest  with- 
out iliscnssing  the  Canadian  Pacilic,  and  it  is  reallv  woith  whik' 
to  sketcii  the  histor\'  of  an  enterprise  which  has  taken  such  a 
commanding  ])o>ition. 

The  Canadian  Pacific  Railway  owes  its  origin  to  a  political 
necessitv.  It  was  an  ob\  ious  conset|uence  of  the  confederation 
of  the  Canadian  Provinces.  It  was  pledged  to  the  distant  Pro- 
vince of  Hritish  Columbia  as  a  condition  of  her  entrance  to  the 
Dominion.  It  was,  l>esides.  a  clear  essential  to  the  unity  and 
homogenitv  of  the  outer  Pro\inces.  The  ctjufederation  was 
sc;ircely  completed  before  the  I'\'deral  Government  set  aliout  the 
preliminary  snrve\s  for  the  ^vork.  'j'hese  were  prolonged  and 
e\prnsi\e  under  the  wasteful  system  characteristic  of  government 
work.  From  $2,000,000  to  $3,000,000  \vere  spent  and  .|o.ooo 
or  50.000  miles  of  surveys  and  ()bser\ations  completed  between 
1871.  when  the  Northwest  was  annexed  to  the  confederation,  and 
187S.  when  the  Government  practically  relinquished  the  work. 
Tills  time  and  nionev  was  not  actually  lost,  though  most  of  the 
line  located  b)  ..he  Go'.'c'-nment  will  be  abaiuloned  1)\-  the  s\ndi- 
cate.  These  suiveys,  added  to  pievious  explorations  like  those 
ol'  Pi'of.  Hinds.  Prot'.  Mac<nm  and  Capt.  i'alliser.  form  the  basis 


of  the  subNCCjuent  work   by  the  present  manageis.      The  line 
iinally  located  by  the  (io\c'rnment.  began  at  Lake  Nipissing.  tl 


as 


le 


■I  I 


TIIK   BKITISH   NORTHWEST. 


4t» 


termiiuiH  of  tlie  i)rojccte(l  CaiKithi  Central  fVoni  Ottawa,  and 
stretched  across  the  desert  of  rock  and  morass,  noith  and  east 
of  Lake  Superior,  to  Selkirk  on  the  Red  River.  There  was  a 
so-called  Ijranch  to  'IMuuider  Bay  on  the  lake,  which  was  to  he 
really  the  main  line,  witli  Thunder  Bav  for  the  eastern  terminus, 
for  several  years,  or  at  least  till  the  prairie  section  was  huilt. 
West  of  Selkirk  the  line  struck  northeasterly  through  the  fertile 
countr\'  of  the  little   Saskatchewan,   a  tributar\-  of  the  Assinni- 


RAILWAY  TUNNEL  AT   RAT  PORTAGE. 

boine,  and  the  Swan  River,  an  inlet  of  Lake  Manitoba,  and  kept 
on,  at  the  cost  of  some  heavy  constructions  over  morasses,  to 
Battleford,  on  the  North  Saskatchewan,  and  Edmonton,  on  the 
up|)er  course  of  the  same  stream,  at  the  foot  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains.  The  purpose  of  this  line  was  to  follow  the  fer- 
tile belt  of  the  oUl  explorers  antl  axoid  the  country  south  of 
the   South    Saskatchewar.,   which    thev   had    condemned  as   arid 


.f 


•I 

r 


u\ 


50 


THE  BRITISH  NORTHWEST. 


"1:1 


plains.  Several  routes  tliroiigh  the  rocky  harrier  of  the  moun- 
tains were  discussed,  and  there  were  strong  advocates  for  a 
sharp  turn  northward,  to  reach  the  Peace  River  country,  with  its 
magnificent  agricultural  capabilities  and  mineral  resources,  and 
to  fnid  an  outlet  to  some  of  the  more  northerly  British  Columbia 
harbors  through  the  break  in  the  mountain  wall  made  by  its 
valley.  The  route  finally  chosen,  however,  was  through  Yellow 
Head  pass,  3,646  feet  above  sea  level,  somewhat  ^outh  of  the 
latitude  of  Edmonton,  to  l^ute  or  Burrard  inlet,  on  the  Pacific 
coast.  The  work  of  construction  was  begun  in  1875.  and  within 
three  vcars  more  than  100  miles  of  roiul  was  built  on  each  end 
of  the  tliificult  Thunder  Bay  di\isit)n,  nearly  100  miles  was 
built  west  of  .Selkirk,  and  a  beginning  was  matle  in  British 
Columbia. 

Tile  first  notable  check  to  the  prosecution  of  the  work  by  the 
Government  was  the  great  Canada  Pacific  parliamentary  scanilal 
of  1S72.  which  caused  the  fall  of  the  Macdonald  Cabinet  and 
elevated  Mr.  Mackenzie  and  the  Liberals  to  power.  This 
belongs  to  the  histoiN"  of  Canada,  not  to  that  of  the  Canadian 
Pacific.  It  is  enou<rli  ti;  note  that  the  influence  of  the  scandal 
clung  to  and  crippletl  the  Mackenzie  Government  in  the  pros- 
ecution of  the  enterprise.  Repeated  efforts  made  to  interest 
private  ca|)ital  in  the  enterprise  were  defeated  by  this  considera- 
tion and  the  preNailing  business  depression.  When  the  Liberals 
finally  fell  from  power  in  1879.  upon  the  tariff  question,  it  was 
considered  that  the  extravagant  expense  of  the  railroad  had 
indirectly  led  to  the  event,  bv  impoverishing  the  treasury  and 
embarassing  the  finances.  At  anv  rate,  wiien  .Sir  John  ALic- 
donald  returned  to  power  he  suspended  work  on  the  road,  and 
sought  for  private  enterprise  and  capital  to  take  it  ofV  his  hands. 

In  the  meantime  events  were  preparing  for  just  this  emergency 
in  another  quarter.  A  great  railwav  system  had  suddenly  grown 
up  just  across  the  line  in  the  United  States,  controlled  by  Can- 
adian capital,  and  in  close  alliance  with  the  commercial  interests 
of  the  l^ritish  Northwest.  Li  1S77  and  1S7S  Jinues  J.  Hill,  then 
an  uncoiispicuous  partner  in  a  Hal  River  transportation  com- 
pany, now  the  most  famous  railroad  monarch  west  of  Chicago, 
concei\  ed  the  bold  plan  of  taking  the  St.  Paul  and  Pacific  out  of 
its   morass  of  bankruptcy   and  erecting  it  into  a  new  and  inde- 


IL 


THE  BRITISH  NOHTIIWEST. 


51 


pendent  system.  He  interested  George  Stephen,  president,  and 
R.  B.  Angns,  director  of  the  Bank  of  Montreal,  in  his  plan,  and 
their  capital  and  his  skill  corralled  the  bonds  of  the  bankrnpt 
road,  and  led  throngh  a  thorny  path  of  litigation  to  its  reorgan- 
ization, with  Stephen  as  president  and  Hill  as  general  manager. 
It  only  took  a  year  or  two  for  Hill  to  till  the  Ked  River  Valley 
with  his  ambitions  lines,  and  call  a  branch  of  the  Canadian 
Pacific  down  from  Selkirk  to  the  international  bonndary  to 
connect  with  him,  bringing  Winnipeg  and  the  isolated  section 
ot  the  Canadian  Pacific  into  commercial  relations  with  the  world 
through  the  United  States.  'J'hen,  when  Sir  John  IMacilonald 
looked  for  capable  and  willing  hands  into  which  to  iniload  his 
Canada  Pacitic  white  elephant  in  iS8o,  the  managers  of  the 
now  wealthy,  prosperous  and  successful  St.  Paul.  Minneapolis 
and  Manitoba  appeared  as  candidates.  The  ministerial  and 
parliamentary  negotiations  at  Ottawa  aie  too  recent  to  need 
recounting  here.  Their  'urniliar  lesult  was  the  formation  of  a 
syndicate  to  undertake  the  construction  of  the  Canadian  Pacific 
road  within  ten  years,  and  the  prairie  section  within  tliree  ^  ears, 
in  which  the  Bank  of  Montreal  capitalists  were  the  largest 
shareholders,  ;uid  Manager  Hill  an  influential  director. 

This  syndicate  received  a  land  grant  of  e\cr\'  alternate  section 
for  24  miles  on  either  side  of  its  line,  amounting  to  25.000.000 
acres,  and  a  practical  indorsement  of  their  bonds  to  the  amoiuit 
of  $25,000,000,  besides  an  absolute  gift  of  the  completed  sec- 
tions of  the  road.  That  is  to  say,  the  govenunent  turns  over 
to  the  syndicate  the  road  now  in  operation,  and  umlertakes  to 
complete  the  ]:)art  now  under  conti'act  in  liritish  Columl)ia  and 
between  Tlumder  Bav  and  Selkirk.  Of  co-.r.se,  the  heaviest 
labor  this  imposed  upon  government  was  the  completion  of  the 
gap  in  the  Thunder  Bay  section,  now  reduced  to  al)out  100  miles. 
The  entire  amount  of  completed  road  to  be  finallv  turned  over 
by  the  government  to  the  syndicate  is  700  miles,  valued  at 
$28,000,000.  This  makes  the  entire  value  of  the  government 
aid,  estimating  the  land  at  $2  per  acre,  $103,000,000.  This 
looks  like  a  big  subsidv,  but  in  reality  it  is  much  less  than  those 
olVered  by  the  Dominion  to  parties  who  have  previously  failed 
in  attempts  to  build  the  road.  The  famous  Sir  Hugh  Allan 
charter,    which    broke    down    up(jn    the   exposure    of   corrupt 


62 


THK   BRITISH    NORTIIWKST. 


practices,  granted  $50,000,000  in  casli  and  lands  to  the  value  ot 
$109,000,000.  The  Mackenzie  plan  of  1S74.  which  was  not 
accepted  bv  anv  company  capal)le  of  building  the  line,  oH'ered 
the  same  amount  of  land  antl  cash  and  bond  subsidies  amounting 
to  $5o,747,>oo.  The  latter  act  also  subsidized  branch  lines, 
which  tlie  syndicate  must  build  at  its  own  expense.  The  syndi- 
cate receiyes  certain  incidental   privileges  from  the  government, 


>\  »-r 


'■'  »:!! 


__,,..^..,.,   .™;_, 
"1*».,'..,...,   #' 

,     .     111,.'              '■'                ' 

-1":^^' ":    '"•"■  ■  '"                  ,    m 

m 

CANADIAN  PACIFIC  RAILWAY  BRIDGE  — Over  Winnipeg  River. 

such  as  exemption  tVom  taxation  of  its  right  of  way,  depot 
buildings  in  unsettled  country,  and  its  lands  until  sold,  and 
exemption  tVom  duty  of  materials  used  in  construction.  On  the 
other  hand,  it  must  submit  to  government  resfulation  of  its  tarifls. 
Qiiick  to  seize  its  magnificent  op[)ortunity,  the  syndicate  took 
possession  of  its  domain  early  in  the  year   iSSi,  and  is  now  in 


THE  nrilTISII  XOUTIIWEST. 


53 


the  full  tide  of  energetic  construction.  The  feeble  and  dilatory 
methods  cjf  government  work  have  liceu  replaced  hv  the  trained 
energy  ol  practical  railroad  builders,  and  the  expensive  theorists 
of  the  old  regime  have  been  superseded  by  the  cream  of  the 
younger  generation  of  pushing  and  capable  railroad  men,  trained 
in  the  admirable  school  of  the  northwestern  United  States. 

'['he  syndicate  staff  are  established  at  W'imiipeg  in  commo- 
dious ofiices  above  the  Montreal  Hank  building,  except  the  chief 
engineer,  whose  headquarters  are  in  the  l)uckl)oar(l,  and  are 
bringing  order  out  ot  the  chaos  thev  found.  Thev  are  operating 
the  completed  road  with  a  hea\y  tiaflic,  and  apparentlv  with 
profit,  and  are  pushing  the  construction  with  sui])rising  energy. 
I3etween  Thunder  Bay  and  Winnipeg  the  government  are  com- 
pleting the  line  under  contract  alieadv  let  according  to  the 
agreement  with  the  syndicate.  1  have  written  something  about 
this  wild  country  and  ditlicult  construction  in  a  former  letter. 
West  of  Winnipeg  the  syndicate  have  made  some  important 
changes.  The  first  is  to  abandon  Selkirk  and  select  Winnipeg 
as  a  base  of  operations,  whereby  the  former  ]:)lace  is  losing  its 
population  and  falling  into  ruin,  while  the  latter  is  grow  iug  to 
metropolitan  proportions.  Then  the  syndicate  has  abandoned 
the  whole  line  of  the  government  survey,  and  even  loin  up  a 
large  section  of  the  finished  track.  The  new  line  leaves  the 
old  one  at  Portage  la  Piairie.  and  strikes  south  uji  to  the  Assin- 
niboine  Vallcw  by  Qu'Appelle.  The  line  thus  avoids  the  swampv 
country  south  of  Lake  Manitoba.  It  ventures  into  the  "  arid 
region"  of  the  old  siu'VCNors,  l)ut  so  far  the  engineers  have  fountl 
the  land   admirably  adapted   lor  settlement. 

It  is  providetl  in  the  railroad  act  of  Parliament  that  the  line 
shall  cross  the  mountains  at  Yellow  Head  Pass,  but  the  syndicate 
engineers  are  looking  for  a  better  passage,  and  if  they  find  one 
probably  it  will  not  be  tliiVicult  to  secure  a  modillcation  (d' the  act 
in  this  respect.  The  line  may  then  skirt  the  Rocky  Mountains 
northward  to  the  Pine  River  I'ass,  or  seek  some  otlier  more 
practicable  passage  through  the  t'oimidable  ijarrier  than  that 
selected  by  the  government  engineers.  In  any  case  a  branch  line 
will  probably  be  built  ultimaleh'  north  of  the  fertile  Peace  River 
re*rion.  The  location  of  the  line  in  I3ritish  Coliunbia  seems  to 
be   settled   by  the    act    of    iSSi,    luuler    which    the    government 


>^^ 


,"',1  .  '■ 


54 


Tllli   HUniSIl  NORTHWEST. 


is  to  build  nt'arlv  200  milfs  fiom  Foit  Moody,  on  the  coast 
opposite  Vancouver  Island,  up  to  the  vallcv  of  the  Frazcr  River 
to  Kaniloops.  Of  this  12S  niiks  from  Vale  to  Kamloops  along 
the  valley  is  now  under  contract.  Much  heavy  work  has  been 
done  and  a  few  miles  near  Vale  have  been  ironed.  The  most 
difficult  section,  ninety  miles  across  the  Cascade  Mountains,  from 
the  coast  of  Vale,  is  to  be  put  under  contract  this  summer. 
Wherever  the  syndicate  line  crosses  the  mountains  it  must  take 
such  a  course  as  to  meet  the  government  line  at  Kamloops.  The 
length  of  the  olil  government  line  was  2,2,00  miles,  400  in  the 
Thunder  Bay.  1.200  in  the  valley  and  600  in  the  British  Columbia 
section.  Of  course  the  new  line  cannot  \et  l)e  measured,  but  it 
is  certaiidv  much  shorter. 


.-r^'  ,'V<jv '^_'^ ^^''\ VLjiXJI /  •'■.-'     ■  >■' ^o-"  \  -^.^^ 


I." 


-A^bukJu 


Dast 
iver 

C'LMl 

lost 
otn 
ler. 
like 
riie 
the 
hi  a 
t  it 


'N. 


'^'K\^^^ 


J^ 


VII 


THE   PRAIRII':  JOURNEY    BE(Jl  N. 

BY  RAIL  WKSTWARD  TO  TMK  F.XI)  OK  THK  TRACK—  TIIK  HKGINNING  OF 
A  IIVE  HlNl>Ri:i)  MILK  TRIl'  HY  WAGON  ACROSS  THK  SKTTLKD 
SECTION  OK  THE  ASSINNIHOINE  VALLEY  TO  BRANDON  —  I'lONEER 
KXl'KRIKNCES  AND  I'ROKITS  — TIIK  WESTWARD  MARCH  Ol  IMMIGRA- 
TION—  I'RAIRIKS,    MARSHES     AND    SAND    HILLS. 

I  tried  to  sec  with  my  o\\  n  eyes  some  small  fraction  of  the 
prairie  empire  that  rolls  west  ot  ihc  Red  l^ivei-  to  the  foot  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains.  In  pursuance  of  this  laudahlc  cndeaxor  I 
traveled  some  350  miles  west  of  Winnipeg-,  and  nearlv  300  miles 
west  of  the  present  terminal  point  of  the  Canadian  Pacific  Rail- 
way. The  route  lay  from  Portage  !a  Prairie,  the  end  of  the 
track,  up  the  .\ssinnihoine  \'alley  to  Brandon,  trom  thence 
further  up  the  valley  on  the  south  side  to  Port  Ellice  ;  from 
that  point  up  the  (^u'Appelle  N'allcy  to  (.iii'Ai)pelle  I'ost.  Fort 
Ellice.  the  oldest  and  l)cst  known  point  upon  the  i(jurne\'.  is  a 
Hudson^^a\  Company's  p(jst.  a!)out  a  ccntur\-  old.  established 
near  the  junction  of  the  Assinnihoine  and  (^irAi)pelle  Ri\ers. 
It  is  scarcely  one-fourth  of  the  distance  from  the  Red  River  to 
the  Rocky  Mountains,  ft  was  and  still  is  an  important  distrib- 
uting point  in  the  system  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company's  trade, 
though  the  last  located  line  of  tiic  Canadian  Pacific  Railway 
passes  it  uj^on  the  other  side.  T  sjiould  sav  something  al)out 
these  \arious  lines  of  railwax'  to  explain  the  peculiar  manner  in 
which  the   country   is  settling  up.      The  line  located  b\'  the  first 

Canada  Pacific  Com|)any — that  chartered  bv   the  old  Mackenzie 
0 


f 


'f! 


66 


TIIK   HIUTISII   NOKTIIWKST. 


V' 


Government — shot  wildly  olV  to  the  north  of  Lake  Maiiitoha 
throiij^h  the  swamps  aiui  forests  of  the  eastern  edge  of  the  Win- 
r,i|,'\<>^  basin.  The  second  line,  located  under  the  authoritN  of 
t'.ie  Macdonald  government,  ran  with  more  reason  nearly  due 
west  of  Selkirk,  through  the  rich  Riding  Mountain,  Little  Sas- 
katchewan and  Swan  River  regions,  turning  sharply  northw.ud 
towards  the  Saskatchewan  near  the  longitude  of  Fort  Ellice. 
About  loo  miles  of  this  line  was  built,  and  gave  an  impetus  to 
settlement  in  this  direction  that  has  strur.g  a  line  of  prosperous 
towns  along  the  north  baidc  of  the  Assiiuiiboine  as  far  as  the 
QirAppclle,  When  the  syndicate  assumed  control  of  this  work 
it  abandoned  this  line  in  turn,  and  adopted  another  which  hugs 
closely  the  north  bank  of  the  river  for  some  150  irdes,  then 
crosses  it  at  Grand  Valley,  and  foUovvS  the  south  bank  and  the 
Q^u'Ai^pi'llc  River  in  the  direction  of  Qii'Appelle  Mission  I'or 
some  time,  skirting  and  ihialK'  plunging  boldly  into  the  .egion 
which  tlie  old  explorers  set  down  as  arid,  treeless  and  barren. 
This  line  follows  quite  closely  tlic  old  cart  trail,  used  for  hu-i- 
dreds  of  vears  for  freitrhting  into  the  interior.  I  followed  this 
trail  upon  mv  journev,  and  was  scarceh  ever  out  of  si<rht 
of  the  railway  stakes  for  more  than  a  few  miles  at  a  time.  It  is 
well  here  to  make  the  general  statement,  with  all  deference  to 
the  old  explorers,  tiiat  I  have  seen  scarcely  a  foot  of  land  that 
either  is  not  already  fit  for  agricultural  production.  (  i'  can  be 
made  so  by  some  simple  a[)pliances  of  modern  civilization.  Some 
land  is  wet.  and  needs  draining;  other  lacks  fuel,  which  the  rail- 
road will  bring  ;  and  still  other  is  better  adapted  for  grazing  than 
cultivation  ;  but  it  is  all  farming  land  in  the  broad  sense. 

r  left  Winnipeg  upon  a  certain  Tuesday  morning,  meeting  at 
the  train  by  appointment  my  camera-bearing  companion  on  the 
Lake  Winnipeg  trip,  and  a  person  said  to  be  familiar  with  the 
route  to  Qii'Appelle,  in  whose  care  we  placed  ourselves  for  the 
journev.  The  railroad  part  of  the  trip,  some  sixt\  miles  to 
Portage  la  Prairie,  on  the  Assinniboine,  was  quickly  completed. 
The  line  runs,  for  the  most  part,  through  a  rich  prairie,  dott'-d 
plentifully  with  low  shrubs,  which  will  require  draining  to  make 
it  fit  for  general  agricidture.  It  already  afiords  excellent  hay, 
and  at  one  point,  Stony  Mountain,  the  general  level  gradually 
rises  to  the  foot  of  a  sharp  blutl,  fifty  or  sixty  feet  high,  supplying 


Tin:  nuiTisir  Noimrvv  ,st. 


67 


admirable  coiulitions  for  ii  gra/iii«(  fann.  'Vhv  Prov  inciiil  peni- 
tentiary and  insane  asylnin  is  located  here,  and  tliose  conditions 
are  partly  utilized  hy  the  niaintainance  ot'  a  tine  herd  of  tamed 
buflalo,  which  graze  upon  tlie  hillside,  and  are  attended  l)y  the 
lunatics.  xMost  of  the  huul  alonjj;'  this  line  is  held  by  speculators 
who  obtained  it  fioni  the  old  coni[)any,  and  has  not  come  mider 
cultivation.  There  are  two  |)arallel  lines  of  settlement,  liowever, 
to  the  north  and  south  of  it,  almost  within  sij^bt  of  the  cars.  One 
follows  the  Assinniboine  River  and  the  other  tne  oltl  line  of  road, 
until  they  uK'et  on  the  Little  Saskatchewan  and  continue  up  the 
Assinniboine  beyond  Fort  Ellice.  South  of  both  of  these  another 
line  of  settlements  stretches  alouij  the  boundary  line  from  the 
Pembina  to  the  Turtle  Mountain  in  about  the  lonjijitude  of  the 
Grand  Valley.  Hoth  of  these  regions  will  pr(;bablv  be  served  by 
lines  of  railway  at  no  distant  day,  the  southern  b\'  the  Manitoba 
<Sc  Southwestern,  and  the  norchern  by  a  northwestern  branch  of 
the  Canadian  Pacilic. 

The  new  line  of  railway  strikes  the  Assinniboine  ;ui''  the 
settlements  together  at  Portage  la  Prairie,  the  largest  town  in  the 
Northwest  outside  of  Winnipeg,  and  the  center  of  the  most 
prosperous  agricidtural  community  in  the  I'rovince.  About  ten 
miles  from  the  river  the  marshv  meadows  begin  to  rise  into  a 
beautiful,  lever  prairie,  as  rich  in  soil  as  anything  in  the  Red 
River  Valley,  and  as  highly  cultivated  as  any  land  in  Dakota. 
This  prairie,  of  about  ten  miles  in  extent  each  way,  is  mostly 
cut  up  into  small  farms,  which  are  carefully  cultivated,  and  now 
bear  an  exceeilingly  promising  crop  of  wheat.  The  town  of 
Portage  la  Prairie  has  about  1,500  inhabitants,  nearly  all  the 
additions  of  the  last  two  \ears  :  is  regularly  laid  out  with  wide 
streets  and  buildings  that  are  l)eginning  to  assume  a  solid, 
permanent  appearance.  This  is  the  present  terminus  of  the 
railway,  though  tlie  track  is  laid  twenty  miles  farther:  and  here 
our  partv  tittetl  out  for  an  overlanil  journey  of  some  300  miles 
farther  west.  Our  train,  when  completed,  consisted  of  a  spring 
wagon  drawn  b\'  two  shaggy  native  ponies,  and  a  buck-board 
drawn  b\-  a  thiid,  lioth  loaded  with  tent.  Idankels,  canned  meats 
and  other  supplies,  and  driven,  one  by  our  guide  and  the  other 
by  his  culinarv  assistant,  who  added  the  virtues  of  a  hostler  to 
his  own.      It  took   some  time  to  get   tiiis  motley  train   in  order, 


r 

58 


Tin:  Hitn  isii  NoiMiiwiisr. 


iiiid  it  \\  ;is  WfdiK'silay  aftcinooii  before  we  turned  otir  faces  to 
the  west.  Mr.  La  'roiiche  Tiipper,  i^nvenimenl  inspector  of 
telejjfiapli  for  the  N'ortiiwest.  left  l'orta.t;e  at  the  same  lime  oil 
Mil  ovei  hmd  trip  to  llattleford.  and  tiie  two  parties  often  camped 
and  (h"ove  to<,a'ther  upon  llu'  journey.  I  am  indel)tt(i  to  him  tor 
much  int'ormatiou  about  tiie  country;  as  also  to  .Mr.  b)lm  Hanjijs, 
Dominion  land  <4ui(le.  w  lio  accompanied  us  to  lirandon. 


r 


<j 


RAILROAD  CUT  ON   THE  THUNDER   BAY   SECTION. 


The  first  ten  miles  of  our  journey  was  over  the  same  beautiful 
prairie,  dotted  with  improved  farms  and  covered  with  growing 
crops,  that  we  traversed  l)y  rail.  This  extends  along  the  Assin- 
nil)oine  from  Portage  to  Rat  Creek,  a  narrow,  winding,  muddv 
affluent,  much  like  the  Sheyenne  in  Dakota.  On  this  creek  we 
were  shown  the  house  of  a  Mr.  McKenzie,  a  thrifty  Scotchman, 


TirE  ninrisit   nouiiiwest. 


69 


who  was  .1  pioneer  scttlei-  liftcni  vcars  :i','o.  and  is  now  the  ricliest 
farnier  ill  this  lej^ion.  He  came  iuTe  from  Ontario  with  some 
capital,  invested  it  prndcntly.  and  now.  with  his  sons,  owns  about 
40.000  acres  of  hmd  in  various  farms.  ( )n  the  west  side  ot"  Rat 
Creek  the  prairie  chan<;es  to  meadow  land,  wliich  continues  witli 
some  interruptions  to  tiie  sand  hills,  some  thirty  miles.  All  the 
country  from  \\  innipe<>;  to  (^u'Appelle  mav  he  classiiied  into 
these  four  sorts,  prairie,  meadow  land,  saiul  hills  and  lii;4h  plain. 
I  may  as  well  describe  each  minutely  once,  as  I  meet  it  Hist,  and 
avoid  endless  repetition.  TIk-  prairie,  in  its  wild  state,  is  a  level 
plain  without  any  timber  of  aiiv  sort.  l»ut  covered  with  a  luxuriant 
•growth  of  »rrass.  Howers  and  wild  lej^umes  that  ijrow  in  the 
richest  soil.  When  broken  with  the  plow  it  shows  a  rich,  black 
soil,  from  one  to  three  feet  deep,  with  a  clay  subsoil,  ca|iable  of 
produciii<j^  <^rain  and  vegetables  in  the  <^reatest  profusion  and 
pert'ection.  The  average  yield  of  wheat  on  the  Porlai^e  I'rairie 
is  thirtv  bushels,  and  as  all  grown  finds  a  readv  home  market, 
the  farmers  are  vvaxin<;-  pr(/spcrous.  Meadow  land,  such  as  we 
found  on  each  side  of  Portage  I'raiiie.  is  less  level  tiian  the 
prairie,  l)ein<^  broken  with  small  lakes  and  slouL;hs  about  which 
there  is  often  a  i;rt)wth  of  scriibbv  timber.  Tlu-  soil  is  black  and 
wet,  but  re(juires  draining  to  lit  it  for  cultivation.  It  yeilds 
excellent  wild  hay,  however,  and  with  the  natural  drainage  that 
comes  from  railroads  and  settlements,  will  doubtless  iiecome  fine 
<irazin'>'  and  farmin>r  land. 

From  Rat  Creek  the  trail,  which  is  here  a  well  beaten  road, 
traversed  bv  all  the  freighters'  trains  to  I^Uice.  nattlefnrd  and 
Edmonton,  stiikes  nearly  dne  west  to  the  bend  northward  of 
the  Assinniboine  valley.  \Ve  stoppi.'d  tor  the  night  at  the 
house  of  Mr.  Cook,  an  English  imniigiant.  whose  e\|)erieiice  is 
suggestive  f)f  the  capabilities  of  the  countrv.  lie  came  here 
only  two  years  ago,  and  took  up  half  a  section  of  land  under  the 
homestead  and  pre-emption  laws,  w  ith  no  other  capital  than  his 
hands.  Now  he  has  a  farm  worth  about  $4,000,  with  seventy 
acres  in  wheat  last  year,  a  considerable  herd  of  cattle  and 
comfortable  buildings.  His  house,  like  all  between  Portage  and 
Grand  Valley,  is  of  poplar  l(\gs.  Leaving  here  early  Thursday 
morning,  we  traversed  some  twenty  miles  of  meadow  to  the 
beginning  of  the  famous  sand  hills,  which  have  puzzled  geologists 


60 


THK    lUUriSlI     NORTHWEST. 


<• 


M: 


uiul  (liscoiiratj^ecl  settlers  ever  since  the  coimtry  was  Hist  peiietratctl 
by  the  white  man.  Here  they  lie  alon^  b(ith  sides  of  the  river 
for  ten  or  fifteen  miles.  These  sand  hills  are  not  so  formidable 
as  the  descriptions  of  tiavelers  had  led  me  to  ex[)ect.  I'he 
name  con\evs  the  notion  of  barren  monnds  of  sliifting  sand, 
glistening  in  the  si  n  and  tosseil  about  by  the  winds.  Instead  of 
that,  we  saw  a  succession  of  rounded  eminences  covered  with 
grass  and  clothei'  with  a  growth  of  the  largest  and  most  varied 
timber  we  had  seen  upon  the  river.  The  Assinniboine,  wliich 
flows  a  few  miles  south  of  the  trail,  is  not  so  heavily  wooded 
here  as  higiier  up.  There  were  some  respectable  groves  at 
Portage,  but  in  general  the  only  torest  growth  was  the  scrubby 
poplar  of  the  meadows.  Here,  in  the  sand  hills,  was  not  only  ii 
grovvtii  of  poplar  large  enough  for  the  primitive  uses  of  the 
settlers,  but  not  a  little  dwarf  oak  and  some  scattered  spruce. 
The  black  sand,  mixed  with  loam,  of  which  the  hills  are  com- 
posed, is  only  exposed  where  the  road  l)reaks  through  the  thin 
tinf  and  on  some  partly  deiuided  simimits.  The  hills  are  rarely 
more  than  fortv  feet  hifrb.  Between  them  are  sometimes  tertile 
hay  meadows,  near  some  of  which  ailventurous  settlers  have 
located.  T  ic  trail  winds  through  these  wooded  hills  in  a  cir- 
cuitous fa.shio:i.  occasionallv  skirting  a  meadow  and  [)resenting 
more  agreeable  variety  of  surface  a;ul  shade  than  any  other  part 
of  the  prairie  route. 

Get^logists  have  speculated  a  gooil  deal  on  these  hills,  but 
the  most  rational  theorv  of  their  origin  I  have  seen  is  that 
which  suppose:;  their  successive  ridges,  crossing  the  coimtry  in  a 
north  aiul  south  line,  to  i)e  the  successive  western  shores  of  the 
great  inland  lake,  whicli  (Mice  occupied  this  great  prairie  region 
and  gradually  dried  up  in  the  course  of  ages,  as  the  land  rose  and 
its  waters  found  an  outlet  to  Hudson  Bay.  These  hills  are 
belived  to  have  been  pileil  up  b\-  the  wind  upon  its  shore,  as  sand 
hills  are  even  now  hea|K'd  upon  tiie  shores  of  Lake  ( )ntario,  and 
the  flat  prai-'ies  and  meadows  that  lie  between  them  may  be  the 
ancient  lake  bottom,  exposed  in  periodical  rapid  recessicjtis  of  its 
waters.  Though  these  sand  hills  support  conside'al)le  vegeta- 
tion of  a  certain  sort,  the}  will  never  be  fit  for  agricultural 
lands,  though  they  ma\'  be  adapted  for  grazing  purposes!  The 
meadows,   and    even    the    lull  sides,  grow   a  coarse   grass,   and 


]:■■ 


TiiK  niurisii   NouriiwKST 


61 


civilized  enterprise  may  supply  the  lack  of  water  bv  wells.  'I'lie 
water  in  all  this  prairie  rej^ion.  except  in  a  small  helt  of  alkali 
country  east  ot'  EUice,  is  good  toi"  stock  and  even  where  surface 
water  is  scarce,  it  can  be  obtained  with  ease  bv  dij2il''iu  shallow 
wells.  ik>toie  leaving  the  sand  hills,  one  fact  should  be  noted 
of  interest  to  Americans.  The  Canadian  government  has  utilized 
a  part  of  them  south  oi'  the  river,  as  a  reservation  lor  the  Sioux 


ex  TRAIN  ON   THE  PRAIRIE  TRAIL. 

refufjees,  who  fled  to  Canada  after  the  Minnesota  nia>^sacre  in 
1863.  A  wandering  band  of  tliese  was  encamped  at  Portage  la 
Prairie  when  we  were  there.  In  spite  of  their  bl<)od\  record,  it 
must  be  confessed  they  were  tall,  striking  looking  fellows,  a 
remarkable  contrast  to  tlie  fat,  greasy  or  wriiddeil  Chii^])ewas 
native  to  the  country. 


% 
i; 


;i 


■: ' 


,•' 


W. 


62 


Tllli    nUITISH    XOUTHWEST. 


)me  fitty  or  sixty    m 


ilcs  from    Fortaue   la   Prairie,   the    trail 


•Hi 


siuldeiily  leaves  the  saiul  hills,  and,  moiiiiting  a  gentle  declivity, 
shows  the  traveler  a  highland  plain,  spreading  out  before  him  as 
far  as  tlie  eve  can  reach,  covered  with  thick,  waving  grass,  and 
bespangled  with  Hovvers,  where  tliese  natural  beauties  have  not 
given  place  to  the  rich  brown  of  the  broken  soil,  or  the  darker 
green  of  the  waving  wheat.  This  is  the  Big  Prairie,  or  Beauti- 
ful Prairie  of  local  tradition.  It  extends  some  thirty  or  forty 
miles  along  the  river,  and  is  about  ten  miles  wide  at  its  narrow- 
est part.  It  is  as  rich  as  the  Portage  Prairie,  and  nearly  as 
densely  populated  since  the  rush  of  immigration  witiiin  the  past 
two  years.  The  part  we  crossed,  though  only  two  years  settled, 
was  covered  with  farms  with  substantial  buildings,  good  fences, 
and  the  best  wheat  1  had  seen  that  year  anywhere,  well  headed 
out  and  almost  ready  to  ripen.  The  farmers  with  whom  I  hur- 
riedly talked  told  me  the  soil  was  of  marvellous  richness,  and,  so 
far  as  their  brief  experience  went,  certain  to  produce  twenty-five 
to  thirtv  bushels  to  the  acre  of  the  best  wheat.  For  this  there  is 
an  insatiate  home  demand  at  prices  ranging  from  $i  to  $1.35  per 
bushel.  One  of  the  most  notable  advantages  of  this  country  is 
its  liome  market  for  agricultural  produce.  With  the  demands  of 
the  Hudson  Bay  Company  and  the  government  for  shipment  to 
trading  posts  and  Indian  reservations  farther  west,  and  the  needs 
of  incoming  settlers  for  seed  and  food,  this  region  will  import 
breadstutfs  for  many  years,  and  j^rcnlucers  are  sure  to  find  a  home 
market  at  higher  prices  than  could  be  realized  for  export.  The 
home  market  for  oats  is  even  better  than  that  for  wheat.  We 
could  hardly  get  grain  for  our  horses,  and  the  railroad  contractors 
were  importing  oats  tor  the  use  of  their  beasts.  Oats  sold  for 
$1  per  bushel,  which  with  a  yield  of  fifty  to  seventy  bushels  per 
acre,  makes  a  prairie  farm  a  mine  of  wealth. 

We  camped  on  tliis  prairie  on  Thursday  night,  and  traversed 
the  rest  of  it  next  morning.  The  tract  we  crossed  lies  between 
Pine  Creek,  a  clear,  deep  and  rapid,  though  narrow  stream,  on 
east,  and  a  low  range  of  sand  liills  on  the  west.  This  stream, 
like  all  we  crossed  to  the  west  of  Rat  Creek,  was  clear  and 
sweet,  unlike  the  muddy  tributaries  of  the  Kcd  River.  This 
prairie  is  abundantly  watered.  Where  there  are  no  streams, 
wells  twenty  feet  deep  supply  the  coldest  anil  finest  water.     It  is 


m 


THE    HKITISII    NOIl  IllWIiSr. 


63 


comparatively  well  wooded,  too.  along  the  streams  and  the  nar- 
row ridges  of  sand  hills  that  cross  it.  Altogether,  the  Beautiful 
Prairie  is  the  most  inviting  spot  1  had  yet  seen  in  the  Northwest. 
West  of  where  we  crossed  it,  the  line  of  settlements  from  Win- 
nipeg, interrupted  for  a  few  miles  by  the  sand  hills,  stretches 
away  along  the  river  to  Ellice,  through  the  thriving  new  towns 
of  Rapid  City,  Minnedosa,  Birtle,  etc.  Crossing  the  range  of 
sand  hills  before  spoken  of,  our  road  the  rest  <jf  the  way  to  the 
river,  some  fifteen  miles,  led  across  a  ditlerent  sort  of  country, 
a  high  and  level  or  rolling  plain,  with  a  lighter,  somewhat  sandy 
soil,  covered  with  a  growth  of  grass  less  luxuriant  than  tlie  true 
prairie,  and  with  stony  ridges  here  and  there.  We  found  end- 
less miles  of  this,  plain  west  of  the  river.  It  is  what  the  old 
explorers  described  an  arid  desert,  but  it  has  water  enough  to 
support  abundant  animal  and  vegetable  life  ;  the  best  of  it  is 
good  farming  land,  antl  the  worst  fit  for  grazing.  At  any  rate, 
settlers  were  taking  it  up  so  eagerly  that  there  was  no  government 
land  left  on  the  line  of  the  railroad  this  side  of  Grand  \'alley. 
The  road  is  pushing  forward  very  rapidly  over  the  section  of 
countrv  just  described.  At  the  time  of  our  journev  y'radiiu'-  was 
completed  continuously  through  the  sand  hills,  and  onlv  a  few 
gaps  remained  to  be  closed  to  the  river.  The  track-lavers  were 
some  thirty  miles  west  of  Portage,  and  expected  to  be  in  Grand 
Valley  by  September. 

It  was  about  the  middle  of  Friday  afternoon,  the  second  day 
after  leaving  Portage,  that  we  drove  down  the  sloping  sides  of 
the  Assinniboine  \'alley  to  the  crossing  of  the  river  at  Grand 
Valley,  that  and  the  town  of  lirandon  on  the  other  side  King 
spread  out  before  us  like  a  jianorama.  with  the  winding  river 
half  out  of  its  bank  with  the  June  rise.  King  between. 


W. 


10 


II ' 


-■  Mi' 


'srfef^ 


Vlll. 


THE  UPPER  ASSlNNIliOINE  VALLEY 


THK  MAGIC  TOWN  OF  BRANDON  —  A  CITY  HORN  ON  I  UK  PRAIRIK  IN  A 
NIGHT  —  ITS  AlM'EARANCi:  AT  KUillT  WEEKS  OLD  —  THE  RIDE  VV  THE 
VALLEY  TO  KORT  ELLICE  —  SOIL.  MOSC^JITOES  AND  FREIGHTERS' 
CARTS—  ELLICE  AND  ITS  BEAUTIFUL  SITUATION  —  FUTURE  GROWTH 
OF  TIMBER  ON  THE  I'RAIRIES  —  SETTLEMENTS  NORTH  OF    THE    RIVER. 


I  left  our  wagon  train  on  the  brow  of  the  bUilVs  overlooking 
Grand  Valley  and  the  crossin<^  of  the  Assinniboinc.  Here  we 
got  the  first  elVective  view  of  the  Assinnibwine  after  leaving 
Winnipeg.  At  Portage  la  Prairie  the  river  creeps  througli  a 
marshy  bed  a  mile  and  a  half  from  the  town,  and  is  separated 
from  it  by  a  slough,  proliably  its  former  bed,  now  full  of  water. 
At  Grand  Valley  the  river  flows  some  150  feet  wide  in  a  bed 
sufficiently  well  defined,  though  the  high  waters  in  June  obscure 
it  somewhat,  with  a  rapid  current,  and  deep  enough  for  the 
purposes  of  steamboat  navigation.  The  banks  slope  gradually 
back  to  the  prairie  land,  perhaps  100  feet  above  the  water, 
leaving  a  flat  or  bottom  on  the  east  side,  which  may  be  a  mile 
wide  when  it  is  not  half  covered  with  water,  as  was  the  case 
when  we  were  there.  On  this  flat  stands  the  town  of  Grand 
Valley,  an  ambitious  place  befoie  it  was  eclipsed  by  its  rival  on 
on  the  west  bunk,  Brandon  ;  and  drowned  out  by  the  flood  of 
June.  Li  July,  18S1,  it  looked  forlorn  and  discouraged.  It  had 
some  twenty  slight  frame  houses  and  tents,  half  of  them  in  the 
water,  and  some  washed  by  the  flood  far  from  their  original 
location.  The  postofllce  and  several  stores  stood  in  the  middle 
of  the  rivor,  apparently,  and  could  be  reached  only  by  l)oats,  and 


THE   HKITISII   XOKTHWEST. 


65 


the  western  end  of  the  terry  was  inaccessihle  to  foot  passengers. 
The  raihoad  proj^ose  to  bridge  the  river  here  with  as  Httle  dehiy 
as  possible,  but  it  will  be  a  task  of  much  cost  and  diHiculty. 

We  consumed  all  the  afternoon  in  <rettin<r  over  the  river  and 
camped  for  the  night  on  a  corner  lot  in  Brandon.  Brandon  is 
one  of  those  miracles  of  mushroom  growth  that  spring  up  as  if 
by  magic  in  scarcely  more  than  a  single  night  at  favorable  points 
upon  a  new  railroad.  It  was  only  two  months  before  I  was 
there  that  the  railroad  company  announced  the  purpose  of  locat- 
ing a  station  and  town  at  Brandon  and  began  to  sell  business  lots 
at  auction.  In  a  few  days  the  railroad  company  was  ij^i 20,000 
richer  and  several  lunu'red  enterprising  speculators  had  town 
lots  on  their  hands  wh'Cli  had  cost  them  from  $^0  to  $400  apiece. 
Of  course  no  time  was  lost  in  utilizing  such  costly  property  aiul 
in  two  weeks  the  first  store  was  up.  When  we  were  there,  the 
town  had  some  forty  or  litty  houses,  some  of  i'lem  large  and  well 
built,  but  most  of  them  temporary  frame  stores  or  claim  shanties. 
There  must  have  been  tliree  or  tour  hundred  people  living  where 
two  months  before  was  naked  prairie.  The  town  is  ihiely  loca- 
ted for  future  growth,  upon  high  ground,  with  the  river  flowing 
close  under  the  low  blulV  at  the  steamboat  landing  and  with- 
drawing a  little  distance  lower  down,  leaving  a  dry  flat  where 
the  railway  buildings  are  to  be  erectetl,  Wlien  the  railway  is 
built  beyond,  Brandon  will  certainly  become  an  important  shi[)- 
ping  and  distributing  point.  This  is  the  best  place  I  saw  to  note 
the  evidence  of  immi<rration  crowding  into  the  countrv,  which 
could  be  seen  more  or  less  all  alon<r  the  line.  Here  the  swarm 
of  strangers  was  thickest  and  the  competion  for  the  worms  that 
await  the  early  bird  in  a  new  country  sharpest.  Most  of  the 
settlers  come  from  Ontario,  thougii  there  are  some  from  other 
Eastern  Provinces,  the  States  and  Great  J3ritain.  Some  twenty 
or  thirty  miles  west  of  Brandon  was  at  that  time  the  limit  within 
which  all  the  government  lands  were  taken  up,  but  this  was 
rapidly  ndvancing  westward.  This  was  about  the  western  limit 
of  settlement  in  the  Pro\  ince  south  of  the  Assinniboine.  Turtle 
Mountain,  nearlv  due  south  of  Brandon,  is  about  the  western  limit 
of  the  line  of  settlement  in  the  fertile  countiy  just  iKnth  of  the 
boundarv.  There  is  <rood  countrv  west  of  here,  however,  in  the 
latitude  of  Turtle  Mountain,  as  far  as  the  wSouris  River,  and  along 


lit* 

il 


■n 


*ji.!^' 


m 


m 


THE  BRITISH   NORTHWEST. 


its  tril)utaiy,  tlic  ripestoiie.  whicli  is  not  far  south  of  the  railway 
line.  At  Oak  lake,  on  this  river,  there  were  already  the  hcgin- 
nings  of  a  settlement,  and  it  was  thoujjfht  the  summer  of  1SS3 
will  see  a  great  rush  into  the  Pipestone  country. 

Riding   out  of  Brandon   about    10   o'clock  Saturday   morning, 
we  entered  upon  the  most  monotonous  part  of  the  journey  —  the 


THE  FIRST   BUILDING    IN    BRANDON. 


ir 


great  plain  that  lies  south  of  the  Assinniboine,  and  stretches  otl 
to  join  the  great  plain  of  tlie  Souris.  The  trail,  closely  followed 
by  the  railroad  line,  traverses  this  plain  from  ten  to  twenty  miles 
from  the  river.  As  soon  as  the  timber  upon  its  b;Hiks  becomes 
large  enough  to  be  conspicuous,  which  is  a  short  distance  above 


THE  nnnisir  xoUTitwKST. 


07 


Brandon,  one  can  sec  its  dark  line  almost  constantly  upon  the 
rij^lit ;  upon  the  left,  the  Brandon  Hills,  a  conimandintjj  elevation 
two  or  three  hundred  feet  high,  are  the  most  conspicuous  objects 
south  of  Brandon,  at  first  Hanked  to  the  west  hy  a  low  ran<jjc  of 
sand  hills.  Between  these  the  plain,  after  rising  rapidly  from  the 
river,  seems  to  stretch  oil'  interminably  upon  an  apparent  level. 
The  soil  is  something  like  that  just  east  of  the  river,  but  having 
rather  less  black  sand  mixed  with  the  surface  loam,  and  a 
more  decided  clay  subsoil  nearer  the  surface.  There  are  stony 
ridges  here  and  there,  where  long  lines  of  granite  boulders  seem 
to  have  been  dropped  by  glaciers  or  tloating  ice.  as  well  as 
single  erratic  boulders  scattered  o\  er  the  surface.  There  is  water 
in  surface  sloughs,  and  lakes  and  wood  on  the  witlely  sepaiated 
streams  and  on  the  sand  hills.  Altogether  the  country  very 
closely  resembles  the  Missouri  plain  between  the  ri\er  and  the 
James  Valley,  except  that  the  water  is  better,  and  it  has  more 
wood.  The  success  of  the  wheat  farms  lately  established  west 
of  Bismarck  makes  it  clear.  I  think,  that  wheat  can  be  success- 
fully raised  here.  Anyway,  the  country  is  being  rapidly  taken 
up.  We  saw  breaking  and  claim  shanties  thirty  miles  west  of 
Brandon,  and  the  settler  must  go  nearly  as  far  as  that  to  find 
government  huid  open  to  entry. 

We  camped  Saturday  night  some  thirty  miles  from  Brandon 
with  a  party  of  railroad  engineers,  who  had  just  completed  the 
location  of  a  trial  line  connecting  with  another  section  to  the  west. 
This  party  of  engineers  was  in  charge  of  Mr.  Charles  Shaw, 
who  has  traveled  a  great  deal  over  the  region  south  of  the 
Assinniboinc.  and  whom  I  am  indebted  for  some  useful  informa- 
ation  and  intelligent  observations.  After  ten  miles  more  of  rather 
wet  prairie,  we  entered  the  same  range  of  sand  hills  we  had  seen 
to  the  left  all  day  Saturday,  which  here  curves  about  towards 
the  river.  They  resemble  those  east  of  the  Assinniboinc.  except 
that  they  arc  lower  ami  wetter,  with  somewhat  smaller  timber. 
Like  those  they  may  some  time  be  utilized  for  grazing  purposes. 
These  were  ten  to  fifteen  miles  across,  and,  as  we  came  out  of 
them,  we  ascended  a  rather  sharp  slope  to  a  liigh,  slightly  rolling 
prairie  whicii  continued  all  the  way  to  EUice.  I'his  is  crossed  by 
two  or  three  streams  whose  deep  waters  and  worn  banks  testify 
to   the   increasing  elevation  of  the  plain,  and  whose  w  aters  are 


;1; 


'% 


68 


THE  imiTisir  \oiiTin\  est. 


pure  ami  sweet.  Besides  these  there  arc  sloughs  of  surface  water 
every  few  miles,  varyinjjf  from  mere  bog  holes  to  small  lakes. 
Sometimes,  in  spite  of  the  elevation,  the  sloughs  expand  into 
grass-covered  marshes,  thousands  of  acres  in  extent.  Lack  of 
timber  is  the  great  drawback  to  this  region,  but  observations 
made  at  Fort  Ellice  and  other  points  demonstrated  that  the  tree- 
less condition  of  tiic  plains  is  solely  owing  to  the  annual  prairie 
fires,  and  that  when  these  are  checked  by  settlement  timber  w  ill 
soon  grow  spontaneously.     The  soil  was  rather  light  upon  leaving 


th 


e  sand    huls  but  mcreases   m  richness  tovvartl 


Ell 


ice. 


Tl 


lere 


is   one   point  in   particular    just  to   the   west   of  a    considerable 


xl  Gopher  Creek,  wh 


th 


lb  ui  's  most  mvitmg  m 
appearance.     As  far  as  the  eye  c        re  "t  i-es   so   level  that 

a  wagon  may  be  driven  in  any  dirt  iuii  ;!>>  easily  as  upon  a  trail, 
and  so  rich  that  in  s(Mne  parts  the  g;  ■  ii  ..'most  hidden  by  the 
luxuriant  growth  of  flowers.  No  settler  had  >  oenetratetl  thus 
far,  but  at  no  distant  time  this  plain  will  support  a  prosperous, 
if  not  dense,  agricultural  popidation. 

We  made  one  camp  on  this  plain  which  will  be  a  memory  of 
horror  through  all  the  future  lives  of  every  member  of  the 
party.  It  was  upon  a  bare  eminence  at  the  siile  of  a  grass- 
grown  slougli  from  which  wo  got  water  for  culinary  purposes, 
and  from  which  arose,  as  the  shades  of  evening  fell,  such  a 
devastating  insect  horde  as  has  never  been  seen  since  the  last 
grasshopper  raitl.  \Ve  had  seen  mosquitoes  before  on  the  trip, 
but  being  well  protected,  had  not  sutlered  from  them,  but  this 
swarm  delied  snuulges,  penetrated  netting  and  resisted  attacks 
with  hand  and  brush.  They  buzzed  around  the  tent  like  a  swarm 
of  bees  and  rattled  against  it  like  a  shower  of  rain.  .About 
3  o'clock  they  broke  into  it  in  such  numbers  as  to  (hi\e  us  out, 
to  find  that  the  horses  picketed  on  the  plain  had  been  stampeded 
and  all  but  one  were  beyond  reach.  The  rest  of  the  night  was 
devoted  to  finding  the  lost  stock,  all  but  our  spare  pony,  who 
was  never  seen  again,  and  in  the  morning  we  turned  our  swollen 
and  UK^ttled  faces  to  the  west  and  left  the  enemy  in  possession 
of  the  field. 

On  this  prairie,  and.  indeed,  all  the  way  from  Portage  to 
QirAppelle,  we  were  given  daily  proof  of  the  surprising  amount 
of  trafiic  already  existing  between  Winnipeg  and  the  interior  by 


THE  BurriSH  noijtiiwest. 


69 


the  loMjif  lilies  of  Red  River  carts  that  we  met  and  passed.  These 
trains,  coii(Uicted  for  the  most  part  l)y  half-breeil  freighters,  carry 
all  supplies  between  the  Iliidsoii  Hay  posts  and  interior  settle- 
ments and  \Vinnipe<r.  The  conijjany  formerly  monopolized  the 
trade,  but  the  settlements  are  beginnin<^  to  consume  <;reat  quanti- 
ties of  j^oods.  It  is  estimated  that  i  .000  carts  left  Winnipe*;-  in  the 
sprin}^  of  iSSi  besides  those  ol'tlie  company,  carrying  supplies  of 
food,  clothing,  groceries,  dry  goods,  and  agricultural  and  other 
tools,  to  the  new  settlements  in  tlie  far  interior.  A  great  many 
of  the  carts  were  loaded  with  reapers,  plows,  threshing  machines 
and  famiing  mills.  Sometimes  the  trains  are  made  up  of  settlers 
instead  of  freighters.  One  long  train  of  carts  drawn  bv  oxen 
and  ponies  mixed,  was  conducted  by  a  half-breed,  who  was 
moving  with  all  his  cumbrous  household  goods  and  a  great  herd 
of  stock  to  the  JJow  River  country,  to  open  a  stock  ranch. 
Others  were  bound  for  tlie  Saskatchewan.  The  trail  1)\  w  Inch 
we  started  from  Portage  is  the  trunk  line  to  the  inferior,  fiom 
which  branches  spread  out  from  time  to  time  to  Fort  Pell. 
Etlmonton,  Battleford  and  other  j^laces  in  the  interior.  JJesi"  s 
the  carts,  the  trail  was  filled  from  time  to  time  with  great  herd; 
of  cattle  driving  to  the  interior,  to  be  sold  lor  beef  and  breet'nig 
pn  "poses.  The  stock  is  mostly  bought  in  Minnesota  and  On^ 
The  cattle  trade  of  this  region  is  already  very  important,  and  is 
rapidly  growing  more  so.  The  Hudson  Hay  Comjijany's  trade 
consumes  a  great  deal  of  meat.  To  this  is  now  added  the  needs 
of  the  railway  workmen  and  of  the  rapidly  increasing  settlers, 
who  seldom  bring  much  stock  with  them.  and.  of  course,  cannot 
start  herds  under  two  or  three  years.  The  men  who  first  seize 
the  opportunity  ollercd  by  the  natural  advantages  of  this  region 
to  start  large  stock  farms  will  find  an  eager  market  and  almost 
certain  wealth. 

Late  in  the  afternoon  of  Monda}-.  the  third  day  after  leaving 
Hrandon,  our  train  drew  near  Fort  Ellicc.  We  foinid  the  trail 
turning  northward  towards  the  river  and  were  warned  b)-  the 
precipitous  banks  of  the  creeks  we  crossed  of  the  depth  of  the 
valley  we  were  approaching.  None  of  the  strangers  to  the 
country  were  prepared  for  the  striking  spectacle  that  j^rcsented 
itself  to  their  eyes,  accustomed  to  the  dull  monotony  of  prairie 
scenery,  as  the  road,  after  winding   through  a  thick  growth  of 


\ 


i'\ 


I  i 


ii! 

t     ■ 

ii: 


lit 


70 


TlIK  HKlTISIl    NO     rilWKST. 


'!'• 


timber.  siuMenly  cmc:<fC(l  upon  the  brink  of  die  valley.  The 
Abslmiiboine  hero  flows  thunitrji  a  valley  nearly  two  miles  wide 
and  .ISO  tc(^t  below  the  level  of  the  plain.  A  .short  distance  above 
the  post  it  is  joined  by  the  \  alley  of  the  (^n'Appelle  River,  and 
just  below  by  the  valley  of  Ik-aver  Creek,  alonjj  which  the  roail 
enters.     The  sides  of  all  the  valleys  are  [jrecipitons  and  covered 


'0' 


STEAMER   NORTHWEST  AT   THE  BRANDON    LANDING. 


with  a  thick  forest,  niui  the  view  from  the  bi'ink  is  picturesf|uc 
and  strikiniT  in  'he  e\trenic.  The  post,  a  (|uadran<ijle  of  low 
buildin<4s.  stands  on  the  ed;j;e  of  the  vallev  comniandin;^  a  losely 
view  of  the  rich  bottom  lands  below,  with  the  company's  farm, 
the  steamboat  landiii:^-,  stores  and  warehouses.      This  is  the  head 


line  liunisii  .Noit  I  iiu  i;sr. 


71 


of  stcainbont  navi^jntioii  on  tlic  Assiiiiiil)«>ine.  'I'lic-  river  is  oviT 
lil'ty  feet  wide  here  ami  iiieanders  h.aU  iiiul  fnitli  fnnu  one  side 
to  the  other  in  the  level  valley  like  a  rilihou  of  sil\i-r.  The  post 
is  an  imporlant  one.  haviii'^  jiirisdic tion  o\c  r  sf\(.r;il  suhoidinate 
posts,  and  doinj;  a  consideiahle  trade.  The  plain  hel'ore  ihe 
bnildin<;s  is  full  of  carts,  which  are  constantly  anivin>4  and 
departinjf,  and  there  is  a  lart;e  camp  of  half-breed  freii^diters,  as 
well  as  the  inevitable  villaj^i'  of  la/y  and  l>c<4<«;in^  Indians.  'I'he 
olVicer  in  charge  of  the  post  is  Mr.  Archibald  McDonald.  lie 
«jave  me  one  very  instinctive  piece  of  information  :  that  tlu'  tlii(  k 
timber  which  clothes  the  \allcy  sides  has  nearly  all  i,Mow  n  up 
within  the  last  ten  \cars — since  the  paitial  settlement  of  the 
country  and  the  makiiijf  of  a  net-work  ot'  beaten  trails  has 
checked  the  annual  prairies  tires.  This  statement  was  confirmed 
bv  a  reference  to  the  text  and  illustrations  of  Prof.  I  lind's  account 
of  the  Assinniboine  Valley,  written  tweiiU -three  Ncar^a^if.).  The 
promise  that  settlement  will  clothe  these  naked  piarics  with 
forests  has  a  very  important  bearing;  upon  tlic  future  of  this 
region. 

There  is  little  settlement  on  tlu>  south  Inuik  oi  the  Assinni- 
boine near  I'Lllice.  t!u>u<4h  one  can  see  the  i^rei-n  bluffs  on  the 
opposite  side  dotted  w  ith  new  houses  as  far  as  the  v\'.-  can  reach. 
This  is  the  continuation  of  the  line  of  setflemeiil  north  oi'  the 
river,  before  alluded  to.  The  wa\e  of  emiiffration  aloni:;-  this  line 
reached  the  Little  vSaskatciiew  an.  thirt\  miles  below,  four  \ears 
ago,  and  Rapid  Cit\'  was  ioundcd.  It  stcadib'  advanced,  and 
the  vounger  towns  of  Miimedosa  and  Hirlle  have  s[)runi;'  up  in 
its  course.  The  \  anj^uard  kept  on.  and  tin.'  last  settler's  house  is 
now  four  miles  above  b^llice.  'i'his  is  not  tiie  limit  of  present 
habitation  northwestward,  bv  an\  means.  I  met  at  Fort  b^llice 
one  of  the  proprietors  of  a  saw  mill  and  flourin^j  mill  at  Prince 
Albert,  on  the  vSaskatchew  an.  ^loo  miles  from  its  mouth,  who 
toKl  me  tliev  had  a  settlement  there  of  one  or  two  thousand  peo- 
ple. \\ith  improN'ed  farms,  and  the  Ix'^innin^  of  a  j^ood  lumt)er 
trade.  At  Edmonton,  at  tlie  foot  of  the  Rockies,  on  the  same 
river,  there  aie  already  old  settlements  and  improved  fums.  I 
was  told  of  one  man  who  made  $20,000  in  four  years  raisinnr 
wheat,  selling  all   his  product  at   home,  to   the  post   and  settlers. 


II 


i: 

■■A 

'    r  ■' 


:     "S\':%., 


'■  w 


f>\. 


\  ■'^J'': 


>% 


•^     \'  \  'i 


\ 


^^■r  -¥ 


■  !rf.; 


'ft  :<  ^ 


I12l 


'.:i  ■■ 


I '.I 


,(,■ 


-,1      ' 


If 


■•i|  •  ; 


^^^^ 


to 


IX 


Tin-:  \Ai.Li:\  of   riii':  c^i  ai'I'cllh 


o 


H 


OQ 


Ul 


cc 


o 


rilKOUlJM    sroUM    AND    l>|.;sKHl     To    \   SUNNV    |-|<  AlUll.    I' 


DAY 

WAITINC.     I  OR      TMK     PI.OU 


\u  A  1)1  si: 


AM)     XI(;ilT  -   A      III   NOKKIJ      MILKS     Ol       KK  II      lAKMINCi     LAN 


A  W  F.T 


U 


TIl-lI,    VALI.KY    AND    KosAKV    <M      -l'\KKI.l\(;    I.AKI 
LAST    CAMP. 


TIIK     POST      AT     <^i;  APPKM.l;  —    A     HIAIJ- 


SIT  I  I.NCi   m  I.L  S 


T 


ic    last   sta^c   of   my    prairie   joiirncv   from    Fort    Fll 


ICC 


C^irAppillc  was  ail    ideal  trip 


to 


in   man\   respects.      It  iie^xaii  amid 


(livarv  diseomfort  and    hairemiess.   clumjied   to    lirii,dit.   cheerful 
fertile    suiioiiiuliii^rs,    and    vnckd   at    the    most    charming-   spot    I 
have   seen   in  Canada.      C^iWppelli'    is  about  the  middle  of  tl 
fishino-  lakes  on   the  (.^u'Appelle   Kiver.  liy  whose  \viiulin<,'s  it 
300  miles  from   the  continence  of  that  stream  with  the  Assinni- 


10 

is 


boine.      1>\-  trail,  as  iieailv  as  d 


istaiices  can  be  determined  in  thij 


recj^ion  of  shiftiii<,r  routes  and   loose  estimates,  it 

El 

\V 


is  130  miles  fioin 


lice. 


40   from     lirandoii.   330   from    I'ortai^a'.    and    390   fro 
innipei^.       'J'he    railroad    will    piol.al.ly    reduce    that    distam 


in 


nearly  one-fourth.  We  drove  from  Fllice  to  (^^u'Appelle  in  three 
days,  startin;^-  early  on  a  Wi'dnesday  moruino-.  )iist  a  week  from 
the  (lay  on  which  we  left  Forta<,re.  The  trail,  still  well  beaten 
by  the    long  trains   of  heavv  carts  thai   traverse   it  dailv.   stril 


\es 


iiearh  (\uc  west   from  El 


with    .something-    like   accuracv    t 


ice.  and  follows  the  C^u'ApiH'lle  Valley 


or    Ileal 


Iv   tl 


le    wliole 


(list, 


nice. 


P'or  the  tirst  tift\-  miles,  th 


e  country  traxersed  was  f(;rbiddini;-  and 


unattractive.  'J'lu-  so.  was  rich  enough,  but  it  was  low.  I>o<4<^v 
and  clothed  with  a  rou_i;li  growth  of  stunted  semi-marsh  shrul)s. 
It  is  a  g-ood  deal  like  I'le  land  east  of  the  Red  River,  only 
rou"-her.      It  mav  be  ijartlv  drained 


so!!ic  ume  ami  serve 


as  1 


lav 


74 


•UK  luiirisii  \()K  I  ii\vi;sT. 


Nil 


meadow.  Imt  it  w  ill  iu'MT  be  takiii  for  ao^ricultmal  laiul  by  any 
one  w  !io  puslifs  on  tbronj;li  it  as  wi-  did  and  sees  \\  iiat  lio 
bcximd.  The  difariiiL'ss  ol'  tlic  lirst  ilay's  journey  was  inteiisilicd 
by  ihf  lirst  lain  ol"  the  trip,  a  driz/.lintj;  persistent  storm  tliat 
tli'enehed  the  \\  liole  part\  to  tiie  skin  in  spite  of  rubber  eoats 
and  I'lankels.  \Vv  ate  tUnnei'  standin;^  in  the  lain  \\  ith  water  lor- 
loihK  drippinj4  from  our  hat  brims  into  tlie  cotlee  cups.  Perhaps 
a  moie  disconsohite  pait\  of  amateurs  ne\er  stretched  a  wet  tent 
and  spiead  damp  lilauket>  u|ion  sodden  ;r{)mid  iifty  miks  iVom 
a  Inmian  liabitation.  and  strat^Liled  oil"  throunh  pouring'  rain  and 
water-laden  ij^rass  after  remote  timbei'.  than  ours,  when  we  went 
into  camp  that  nij^ht.  A  roarins;'  lire  soon  dried  and  warmed 
us  outside,  however,  and  a  hot  supper  did  the  business  for  the 
interioi-.  and  the  nii^ht's  rest  was  better  than  could  have  been 
expected  in  spite  ol' continued  rain  without. 

In  tlu'  moiiiin;4'  tlie  weather  imi)ro\"ed,  l)Ut  tlie  countrx'  did 
not  until  ue  iiad  diixeii  some  ten  or  tweKe  nules.  Then  the 
sloughs  began  to  (li>appeai'  and  the  rough  hununocks  to  be 
succeeded  b\  genth'  rounded  ennnences  crowiud  with  smooth 
tur'"  We  did  not  realize  the  change  until.  dii\ii\g  up  on  a 
higher  hill,  we  saw  spread  before  us.  as  tar  as  we  could  see.  the 
most  beautiful  prairie  1  ha\e  \  el  crosseil  in  the  Xoithwesl.  It 
was  as  'ertile  over  large  tracts  as  the  Portage  prairie,  more  xaried 
in  sui  I  ue  ai'-d  better  woock'd.  We  were  ne\er  out  of  siglit  i>t' 
timl'cr  i>n  the  banks  of  the  (^u'Appelle  and  the  hills  to  tlu-  south, 
and  trecpently  passed  little  chimps  of  trees  about  the  water. 
Uhe  sloughs  .if  die  ccjuntry  are  here  changed  to  charming  little 
lakes,  oiten  w  ith  lirm.  grass\-  liaiiks,  sometimes  surrounded  with 
trees.  Ihese  form  the  principal  \valer  su))])ly.  though  the  tract 
is  crossed  b\  two  considerable  creeks,  'I'he  iirairie  is  routihlv 
bounded  on  the  south  b\  sr\eral  ranges  ol'  hills,  tlie  Weedv  and 
Wolf  .Mountains,  some  twent\-li\e  to  thiitv  miles  from  the  river, 
and  extends  as  lar  as  (^u'Appelle  at  least,  about  seventy  miles. 
It  probably  leaches  lift\-  miles  I'm  ther  west.  JSouth  of  its  southern 
ranges  of  hills  is  the  great  plain  of  the  Souris.  whose  adaptabilitv 
for  settlement  is  yet  in  dispute.  Idiere  will  be  time  enough  to 
settle  it  whili"  this  great  tract  of  undoubtedlv  fertile  land  is  filling 
up.  for  no  settler  has  yet  entered  it,  and,  so  far  as  [  know,  not 
an  acre  of  land  is  \et  sokl. 


x^ 


^'^' 


TIIIC   HUM  ISII    \()1!  1•II^VI■.ST 


75 


For  the  llrst  lew  niilrs  of  this  prjiiric.  the  coiiiitrv  is  soincwlKit 
too  rolliiiji;  to  strikf  the  l";mcv  of  (he  lici\  lUwv  \';illev  t-irmer, 
thoii<,'ii  the  soil  is  imil'ormK-  rich,  heiu^-  a  stioii^.  hhicis  loam, 
with  the  usual  clay  subsoil.  Theie  are  Inie  lewl  lui'adows  on 
this  part,  however,  and  the  little  lakes  are  most  mmierous  there. 


"v 


( 

i 
1      I 

\_ 

/'  /' 

17 

\ 

POST    BUILDING!?   AT   FORT    ELLK.E. 

makiii;4  it  adiuirahlv  adapt(;d  lor  stock  faruiiiiL;-.  I'^irther  on  the 
soil  becomes  ^radualU  more  le\cl.  until  we  touiul  whole  .sections 
smooth  and  appari'iitlv  as  well  kept  as  a  lawn.  Tlie  vegetation 
is  thick,  fine  u^rass,  diversiliiNl  with  llowfis.  This  wa.s  the  only 
place  on  the  trip  w  heie  we  saw  the  lanious  bullalo  grass,  sure 
si<>ii    of  a    fertile    soil.      The    plain    was    also    coxered    with    old 


76 


THE    lUUTISH     NOUTllWKST. 


'.^1 


m'l 


butValo  trails  in  every  description.  Animal  nfe,  rare  enough 
upon  llie  plains  at  tliis  season,  is  more  abuhdant  on  this  plain 
than  elsewhere.  We  saw  pheasants,  plove  ■,  curlew,  snipe,  a 
ilozen  vaiieties  of  birds  not  known  to  the  sportsman,  hawks, 
crows  and  a  tew  ducks.  Crossin<^  a  creek  ei<^hteen  miles  from 
Qii'Appelle.  we  passed  a  tract  of  country  six  or  eij^lit  miles 
wide,  which  is  tlie  (jnlv  land  tor  the  whole  seventy  miles  whose 
agricultural  character  is  doubtful.  The  land  is  level  and  the 
soil  exceeding  rich.  l)ut  it  is  heavy,  cold  and  tenacious,  and  has 
been  raised  by  the  action  of  frost  iiiti>  small  hummocks  which 
make  it  like  a  cordurov  road  to  drive  over.  The  ve<jetation  here 
is  of  a  diderent  character,  the  tine  ^rass  giving  way  to  coarse 
weedy.  Leaving  this,  we  found  the  old  familiar  prairie,  with 
gently  rolling  hills  and  clumps  of  trees,  increasing  in  number  as 
we  approached  tiie  river,  until  the  road  wound  through  the  most 
beautiful  park  region  imaginable,  with  vistas  of  wooded  hillside 
and  meadow  and  occasional  glimpses  of  the  wooded  banks  of  the 
river  between  them.  The  (^u'Appelle  River,  like  the  Assimii- 
boine.  Hows  through  a  vallev  one  to  two  miles  wide  and  about 
250  feet  below  tiie  prairie  level.  The  banks  are  less  wooded 
than  tiiose  of  EUice,  permitting  the  contour  of  their  symmetrically 
rounded  hills  to  be  plainly  seen.  The  clay  of  the  prairie  has 
been  cut  by  water  action  into  a  thousand  varying  shapes,  without 
a  sharp  angle  in  any  of  them,  and  all  is  clothed  in  green  grass. 
A  dry  coolie,  running  into  the  river  at  right  angles  at  this  point 
makes  a  projecting  promontory  antl  adds  to  the  picturesque 
ctVect. 

Unlike  Fort  EUice,  the  buildings  at  Qii'Appelle  are  w  ithin  the 
valley,  and  it  is  necessary  to  descend  a  most  precipitous  wagon 
road  to  reach  them.  Half  way  down  one  turns  a  sharp  corner, 
and  comes  in  view  of  a  beautiful  sheet  of  water',  filling  the  whole 
width  of  the  vallev.  with  white  roofs  shining  through  the  trees,  on 
either  side  of  the  small,  clear  and  rapiti  stream  that  flows  out  of  it. 
This  is  No.  3  of  the  fisiiing  lakes,  famous  in  the  primitive  annals 
of  the  Northwest.  There  are  lour  of  these  lakes,  eipansions  of 
the  river,  extending  Ave  oi'  six  miles  along  the  valley.  They  are 
forty  to  tifty  feet  deep,  c-f  clear  water  and  gravel  bottom,  and  still 
full  of  excellent  lish.  When  the  (Qii'Appelle  lakes  become  gen- 
erally known  and  easier  of  access,  their  softer  beauties  will  rival 


■ 


' 


': 


THE    BUITlSir    NORTHWEST. 


i  i 


the  ni,2:gc(l  iittrnctions  of  the  Lake  of  tlic  Woods  as  a  Canadian 
watering  place.  The  river,  between  Second  and  Third  Lakes, 
is  nearly  a  mile  long,  and  in  iiigh  water,  some  twenlv-live 
feet  wide,  with  sandy  bottom  and  a  swift  cinrent.  There  was 
formerly  an  Anglican  mission  on  this  stream,  but  it  has  been 
superseded  by  a  Hudson  Bay  post  and  a  mounted  police  station. 
The  post  is  less  important  than  tiiat  at  Fort  EUice.  and  is  in 
charge  of  Mr.  Archie  McLean,  who  was  absent  when  we  were 
there.  Five  low  stucco  buildings,  including  a  comfortable  res- 
idence and  a  meagerly  supplied  store,  all  surrounded  bv  a  stockade, 
comprise  the  post.  'I'here  arc  fifty  mounted  police  at  the  station, 
under  command  of  a  commissioner.  These  mounted  j>olice  form 
the  whole  military  t'orce  of  the  Dominion  government.  Thev 
number  300  in  all,  and  their  chief  station  is  at  Woody  AFountain. 
Their  nominal  business  is  to  keep  the  Indians  in  order,  but  their 
real  chief  occupation  is  the  supjiression  of  the  illicit  wliisky 
trade,  all  exportation  of  tratlic  in  Heaven's  last,  best  jrift  being 
strictly  prohibited  in  the  Northwest  Territory.  The  police  have 
comfortable  barracks  across  the  stream  from  the  foit,  but  live  in 
tents  on  the  shore  in  summer.  The  Indian  agent  has  also  a 
comfortable  house  on  the  same  side.  There  are  two  or  three 
large  reservations  near  here;  and.  as  the  annual  payment  was 
near  at  the  time  we  were  there,  the  flat  was  coxered  with 
teepees  of  Crows  and  Sauteaux.  generall}'  degenerate,  uninter- 
esting specimens  of  the  noble  red  man.  Sitling  Bull,  who  was 
a  resident  of  Qu'AppclK  tor  a  year  or  so.  left  two  weeks  before 
we  were  theic.  He  was  camped  on  thi-  piairie  above  the  post, 
with  a  beggarly  following  of  old  men  and  squaws,  till  he  moved 
south. 

Sunday  was  our  last  day  at  Qjii'Appelle.  wheic  we  camped  by 
the  river  for  two  days  to  rest  the  horses.  We  spent  the  morniiig 
bathing  on  a  smooth,  hard,  sand  beach,  the  future  Cape  May  of 
the  Northwest,  view  hinUing  on  the  hills,  where  every  one  of  a 
tliousand  rouiided  points  oilers  a  new  visla  of  lake,  wood,  hill 
and  plain,  and  looking  over  the  farm  of  llie  mounted  [)()liee.  on 
the  river  flat.  This  farm,  like  that  at  Fort  ''.llice.  (they  are 
more  like  gardens  in  size  and  appearance,)  has  been  brought  to 
a  high  state  of  productiveness  with  very  little  cultivation.  'I"he 
cereals,  esculents  and  aT   garden  vegetables  grow   here  in   great 


78 


Till';  Hurrisii  NoiniiwKsr. 


:i.ih 


perfection  and  profusion.  The  climate  is  perceptibly  warmer 
and  the  seasons  lon<^er  than  on  the  Red  Ri\er.  and  the  conditions 
of  production  approach  Ihose  of  the  marvelous  Saskatchewan. 
About  I  o'clock  our  equipa<;e  was  packed  and  we  paintully 
climbed  the  precipitous  valley  wall  to  retrace  our  300  mile 
journey  to  the  end  of  the  railroad. 

The  most  memorable  incident  of  our  sojomu  at  (^u'Appelle 
\vas  a  visit  to  the  deserted  camj)  of  Sittinq;  Bidl.  just  before  oiu' 
departure,  upon  the  blulV  above  the  post.  The  notable  savage 
has  an  eye  for  scenery  certaiidy.  His  site  was  tastefully  chosen 
upon  a  bold  point  of  the  bhill'.  commanding  a  noble  outlook  of 
perhaps  ten  miles  up  and  down  tlie  vallev,  with  the  plain  and 
post  buildings  in  the  foreground,  and  the  two  lakes,  backed  by 
wooded  hills,  stretching  oil'  in  the  distance.  The  ground  was 
trodden  nearly  bare  in  spots  and  covered  with  the  remains  of 
burnt-out  camp  tires.  Oidy  the  frame  of  one  teepee  remained 
standing,  though  the  ruins  of  a  dozen  more  strewed  the 
ground.  Here  the  forlorn  old  savage  camped  with  the  few 
ancient  followers  who  remain  faithful  to  him.  until  he  broke 
caiup  to  return  to  the  Uniteil  States.  The  artist  of  the  party 
assuaged  his  keen  disappointment  at  his  failure  to  train  his 
camera  upon  the  wily  warrioi-  by  a  characteristic  stroke  of 
enterprise.  He  induced  a  greasy  Crec  who  was  shooting 
gophers  for  his  supper  upon  the  plain  to  pose  himself  majes- 
tically in  the  deserted  teepee,  antl  by  the  time  this  is  in  print  all 
the  train  fiends  runnintJ^  out  of  Far":o  will  be  sellincj  deluded 
passengers  the  only  portrait  ever  taken  of  the  renowned  Sioux 
warrior.  Sitting;  Bull. 


.Ii 


'.  1     ;' 


X. 


RHTRO(iRAl)I':  MOVEM i:\TS. 

IIIKRETUKN- JOURNIiY  TO  Wl  NNKlMCCi  —A  STAUTMNti  AM)  DKADLY  STUKM 
—  UKAHSAY  r.VIDKNCE  AS  TO  I'AKTS  ol  TIIK  I'KAIKIK  KMIMKK  NOT 
I'KKSONALLY  VISITKO  —  Till-:  KUTURK  CATTLK  RANCIIKS  OK  CANADA 
AN  IMPORTANT  ANNOUNCKMENT  —  HR ANCII  LINES  TO  UE  .sURVKYKH 
BY  THE  SYNDICATE,  01>ENIN(;  THE  SASKATCHEWAN  VALLEY  AND  THE 
SOUKIS    COAL    I- lELDS  — PROMISE    OK    THE    LATTER. 


A   route    traversed    twice    in    opposite    directions    presents    a 
curiously   dillcrent   appearance   to    tiie   traveler  upon    the  retuin 
trip,    tlK)U<;h    the    objects    seen    are    the    same ;    hut    a    second 
dcscri])tion  of  it  is  a  twice  told    tale.      It    is   enou^'-h    to  sav  ot' 
our  return  trip  from  (^I'Appelle  to  Winnipeg-  that  it  was  made 
with  the   utmost  speed  that  could   he   pounded  out  of  our  tiled 
steeds  and  with   no  noteworthy  incident  until  we  reached  iiran- 
don.     This  nia^ic  city  of  eii^ht  weeks  aye  hatl  apparentlv  almost 
doubled    in    size    (lurin<j^    the    three    weeks    of  our    absence,    and 
l)uildin<>;s  were    madly  rushing-   u]i  with    more   histe   than  ever. 
We  crossed  the  River  from  Grand  \'alley  and  spent  the  ni<rht 
there  in  a  canvas  boardiny-  tent.      Here  we  experienced  one  of 
the  few  sensations  (jf  a  j^enerally  tame  trip,  in  the  shaj;e  of  an 
electric  hail  and  wind  storm,  which   came  whoopin^-  down  the 
valley,  tingino-   the   sky    with  a   livid  green,    lashing    the    rivei 
into   breakers   and    threatening   evervthinir    al)o\  e    'jround    with 
destruction.     The   linest  store  in  Grand  X^dley  was  blown  ii     » 
a    shapeless    heap   of   ruins,    and    the    whole   population    of  tiie 
canvas   boarding  tent  sj^ent  an    hour  bracing  against    its    flimsv 
frame  to  prevent  its  destruction.      The  storm  was  circular,  shit't- 

12 


80 


THE    HKITISH    NOHTIIWKSl 


ing  fVoiii  west  to  cast  in  an  horn's  time  and  llowin':^  with  a  force 
not  casv  to  conceive.  An  enjji'ineer's  camp  near  by  was  struck 
h\   li":htiiin<j: :   six  men  slnnned  and  two  killed. 

The  morninir  ilawned  clear  after  the  storm,  and  twentv-foiir 
hours'  drivin^,^  with  a  fresh  team  brought  us  to  the  end  of  the 
railroad  track,   whei-e  we    hoped   to   catch   on   to   a  construction 


m 


:  >i 


t'^&f 


SITTING   BULL'S  LAST  CAMP. 


':!>■■ 


<A. 


train.  Hire  fortunate  than  our  hopes,  we  found  the  ilirectors' 
car  of  the  Canadian  Pacific,  and,  responding  to  a  courteous 
invitation,  underwent  the  most  rapid  revolution  in  traveling 
surroundings  in  the  history  of  our  journey.  From  the  hard- 
ships, discomfort  and  dirt  of  prairie  travel  ;  from  comfortless 
buckhoards,  tired  ponies  and  hare  tents,  we  were  removed  in  a 


l\ 


TiiK   HKirisii   \()U  I  iiwi'sr 


SI 


cc 
ck 

nil' 
he 
on 


i-s' 
us 

d- 

ss 


tvviiikliii"^-  to  all  the  luxiii  ions  smiomKlings  of  a  palace  car  and 
VvhisUed  over  the  reiiiiiiiiiu;^  twenty  miles  ot'  our  joiiruev  at  a 
rate  of  speed  rarely  attained  by  other  than  railroad  otlicials. 

This  trip  from  \\'imiipe<i^  to  (^u'Appelle  consumes  t.-n  davs' 
time,  whicli  is  a  ^ood  deal  in  a  slioit  human  life,  hut  after  all, 
it  shows  the  traveler  onh'  a  minute  traction  of  thi^  vast  prairie 
empire.  The  journev  of  300  miles  is  on!\  one-fourth  of  the 
whole  ilistance  from  the  Kid  Ri\er  to  the  Kockv  Mountains, 
and  the  narrow  strip  of  eonntis  tra\ersed  is  a  mea>^re  sample 
from  'vhich  to  jud^e  of  the  immense  tract  spreading;  from  the 
American  bouiular}'  to  the  At!ial-aska  River.  I  ha\e  tried  to 
supplement  my  own  observations  throuj^h  intjuiries  of  the  con- 
ventional intelligent  nati\e  ;  but  it  is  not  eas\'  to  ij^et  accurate 
information  about  this  countrv  bevond  the  limits  of  oni 's  per- 
sonal observation.  The  people  who  have  traversed  it  are  maiidy 
traders,  most  of  whom  are  iLfuorant  halt-bieeds.  and  all  of  whom 
go  through  it  with  eyes  closed  to  its  a<;ricullural  capabilities.  I 
have  received  absolutely  contradictor}-  reports  ot"  the  country  oidy 
a  hundred  miles  from  the  lin.e  of  mv  journey,  and  tVom  the  home 
of  the  persons  makin;.;-  the  statement.  What  I  write  is  the  mean 
of  perhaps  a  do/en  compared  and  anahzed  reports.  I  have 
describeil  the  C()untr\'  on  both  sides  of  the  Assiiuiib(nt  1;  far 
west  as  Fort  Ellice.  The  strip  of  fine  country  al(jn<r  tii  south 
bank  from  Ellice  to  (^u"  V|ipelle  reaches  from  tweiitv  to  lilf.y 
miles  soutli,  to  the  hue  oi'  i,'le\ation  named  at  ditlerent  con- 
spicuoU'^  points  the  M<jOse  Mountain,  the  \\eed\  and  Wolf  Hills. 
Bevond  the>-e  the  <^reat  plain  of  the  Souris,  whose  northern  etii^e 
tliey  form,  stretches  away  scuithward  to  th.e  American  bountlary. 
This  plain  is  described  as  arid  and  treeless,  but  the  experience 
of  American  settlers  with  sn)iilar  |)lains  in  Dakota  tbrbid  the 
hast\'  conclusion  that  it  is  uninhabitable.  Westward  the  same 
topographical  condition  prevails.  The  t'ertile  strip  south  of  the 
C^u'Appelle  reaches  nearh  to  tiie  South  .Saskatchewan.  Farther 
west  the  hii^h  plain  to  the  south  ^radualix  invades  it  and  narrows 
its  width.  The  head  waters  of  the  (,^u'.\ppelle  are  very  near  tiie 
great  Ijend  or  elbow  of  the  South  Saskatchewan.  Cien.  Rosser, 
the  Canadian  Pacific  chief  enj^i-inecr,  has  visited  this  point,  antl 
found  the  country  stnxly  and  barren.  The  bulk  of  the  testimony 
is  that  the  whole  of  the  great  plain  on  either   side  of  the  Sas- 


82 


THK    nUITISIf    NOUTHWEST. 


.:"' 
'»;'.-i 


va  '■ 


':;■;! 


katcliewaii,  west  of  the  ell)o\v.  is  of  the  same  iliibioiis  character 
as  t!ie  Soiiris  phiin,  but  Mr.  Tu[)per,  Dominion  Inspector  of 
Tclet^raphs.  insists  that  most  of  it  is  well  watered  and  feilile. 

West  of  this  wide  ])lain.  lyiiiij  north  antl  soutli  alonj^  the 
Rocky  Mountain  chain,  is  the  re<]jion  of  the  How  anil  Hilly 
Rivers,  two  tributaries  of  the  Saskatchewan,  a  fertile,  well- 
wooded  and  watered  district,  said  to  lie  admirably  ailapted  t(<  the 
raisiu'j:  of  cattle.  A  jjfood  manv  ranches  are  already  establisiied 
there,  and  its  conditions  of  climate  and  tbrage  supply  will  soon 
be  tested. 

The  most  notable  experiment  in  cattle  raising  in  this  region 
is  about  to  l)e  made  by  Mr.  Cochrane,  a  well-known  Ontario 
writer,  who  had  just  concluded  arrangements  with  the  Govern- 
ment tor  opening  a  '■■\nch  on  How  River.  He  has  leased  36.000 
acres  of  [)ublic  land  for  twenty-one  years,  at  a  rate  absolutelv 
nominal,  and  is  to  secure  ownership  of  one-lifth  of  it  at  a  j^rice 
almost  so.  He  has  purchased  in  Ontario,  America  anil  England 
several  of  the  thiest  thoroughbred  cattle  and  horses  to  be  had 
for  money.  He  is  arranging  to  import  10.000  Montana  cows 
and  commence  building  on  a  large  scale,  lie  had  not  visited 
his  future  houie  when  I  was  in  Canada,  though  his  stock  wjts  on 
the  \\ .,  ;  but  he  \\  as  confident  from  the  result  of  his  inquiries 
of  the  ultimate  success  of  his  \euture.  A  good  many  less 
extensive  and  somewhat  unauthori/ed  experiments  in  cattle 
raising  are  said  to  be  iioinj-'  on  in  How  River  country. 

North  of  tile  (^I'Appelle  the  country  has  been  more  thoroughly 
explored  and  the  sources  of  hiformation  are  less  doubtful.  The 
triangle  between  the  Assimu' ■  'ine  and  (^^u'Apixlle  is  traversed 
by  several  old  Ilud.son  Ha\  tiails.  and  is  piilt\  well  known.  It 
is  fertile,  well  watered  and  has  a  uood  deal  of  timber  alonu"  the 
streams  and  on  the  Touchwood  Hills.  vSettlers  are  fast  working 
towards  this  region,  along  the  line  of  the  Assiiuiil^oine.  West 
of  the  Touchvvcjod  Hills  the  country  does  not  seem  to  be  so  well 
known,  but  it  has  several  considerable  streams  and  lakes.  Long 
Lake,  northwest  of  C^u'Appelle.  is  sixty  miles  long.  ami.  like  the 
Fishing  Lakes  of  Qii'Appelle,  is  the  expansion  of  a  small  creek 
filling    its   excavated    valley.      The   westward    boundary   of  this 


re<rion   is  the  .South  Saskatchewan,  which  turns 


nor 


th  f 


rom 


th( 


r 


elbow   and    runs   parallel   with   and   about   fifty  miles  from  the 


THE    BIUTISH    NOHTHWEST. 


88 


north  hraiicli.  Here  we  get  out  of  the  region  of  uncertainty 
again  into  tlie  famous  valley  of  the  North  Saskatchewan,  known 
tiuough  a  century's  navigation  of  its  broad  stream,  and  whose 
fertility  is  a  proverb.  It  seems  to  be  the  plan  of  the  railway  to 
skirt  this  Saskatchewan  Valley,  keeping  as  far  to  the  south  as 
possible.  The  trial  line  now  surveying  passes  sixteen  miles 
south  of  C^u'Appelle,  and  will  probalily  touch  the  (^u'A[)pelle 
River  near  Long  Lake,  tiien  keep  on  south  of  the  South  Sas- 
katchewan to  a  point  above  the  mouth  of  its  aflhient,  the  Red 
Deer  River.  Here  it  will  cross  the  Saskatchewan,  and  strike 
directly  through  the  fertile  How  River  regions  to  the  Rocky 
Mountains.  The  immediate  objective  point  here  is  Fort  Gal- 
garry  on  the  Bow  River,  about  latitude  tifty-one. 

The  very  day  of  my  return  to  Wiimipeg  an  aimouncement  was 
made  there  of  great  significance  to  the  future  of  the  Canadian 
Pacific  Railway.  At  a  meeting  of  the  principal  directors,  it 
had  been  decided  to  order  (lie  survey  of  thiee  \eiv  important 
branch  lines.  One  of  tiiese,  to  be  called  the  Souris  branch,  will 
leave  the  main  line  at  Brantlon,  cross  the  intervening  countrv  to 
a  l^aiut  near  the  conlhience  of  Pipestone  Creek  with  the  Souris 
Ri^jy,  thence  pass  up  the  Souris  Valley  to  the  104th  meridian. 
Anotlier  to  be  called  the  Assiimiboine  branch,  will  leave  the 
main  stem  east  of  Brandon,  strike  northerly  ihrcnigh  the  line  of 
settlements  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Assiimiboine.  and  tinallv 
reach  the  Touchwood  Hills,  almost  due  north  of  Qii'Appelle. 
This  will  satisfv  the  clamor  of  tiie  towns  ah^ng  the  line  of  the 
old  survey  for  railway  communication.  A  third  branch,  to  be 
calletl  the  vSaskatchewan  brancli.  will  lea\  e  the  main  line  some 
sixty  miles  west  of  Qii'Appelle,  near  tlie  junction  of  Long  Lake 
with  the  river,  i>ass  northwestwardly  along  the  hike  to  the 
South  Saskatchewan,  whicli  it  will  cross  near  the  liftv-second 
parallel,  thence  tlnough  the  entire  lengtii  of  the  North  Sas- 
katchewan Valley  through  Battleford  to  Edmonton.  I  also 
learned,  what  everybody  within  the  reach  of  newspapers  learned 
three  weeks  before,  that  the  Winnipeg  city  council  had  voted  a 
bonus  to  the  Southwestern  branch  of  the  Canadian  I'acific,  and 
that  work  had  been  at  once  begun  upon  a  line  running  from 
Winnipeg  southwest  to  the  Pembina  Mountain,  thence  westward 
to   the  Turtle  Mountain,  thus  opening  to  the  world  the  whole 


o4 


THE  BRITISH   NORTHWRST. 


belt  of  populous  settlements  along  tlic  American  boundary. 
Tliese  branches  will  pretty  tborou^iily  gridiron  the  country 
with   railroads  and  occupy  the  field   lor  a  generation  to  come, 


hi 
1 1  rtl 


IH'E 

•Hi 

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to  the  exclusion  ot"  any  other  railway  enterprise.  It  is  a 
fact  of  some  interest  that  the  syndicate  will  have  a  land  grant 
along  all  the  branches.  It  seems  that,  though  the  railroad  act 
does  not  make  special  provisions  for  a  land  grant  to  branches, 
it  provides,  in  case  the  main  line  grant  does  not  supply  the 
requisite  25,000.000  acres,  iiidemnitv  lands  may  be  taken  along 
branches.  It  is  estimatetl  tiiat  it  will  take  all  the  lines  whose 
survey  has  been  ordered  to  make  up  the  aggregate. 

The  Saskatchewan  branch  has  the  first  absolute  importance, 
since  it  will  penetrate  the  famous  fertile  belt  of  the  great  river 
and  open  to  settlement  the  choicest  agricultural  lands  ol  tlie 
Northwest.  The  Souris  branch  has  an  immediate  importance, 
however,  secontl  to  no  other,  since  it  will  penetrate  the  famous 
coal  fields  of  the  Souris.  Tliese  promise  the  best  c  >al  in  the 
Northwest  Territory.  I  talked  witli  two  or  three  intelligent 
persons  who  had  personally  visited  the  Souris  coal  region,  just 
north  of  the  American  boundary,  and  made  a  careful  inspection 
of  the  coal  formations.  The  country  along  the  bank  oC^he 
river  is  described  as  rocky  and  barren  and  unfit  for  agricultural 
purposes.  The  geological  formation  is  cretaceous  sand  Vock, 
rising  on  the  banks  of  the  river  into  abrupt  clifis  worn  by  the 
action  of  water,  wind  and  weather  into  a  thousand  picturesque 
and  fantastic  shapes.  I  picture  to  myself  from  the  description 
something  like  the  Missouri  bail  lands,  with  sand  rock  instead 
of  clay  bultes  and  without  burnt  coal  or  scoria.  The  coal  strata 
are  exposed  on  the  banks  of  the  river,  and  lie  in  two  tlistinct 
groups.  The  upper  group  of  strata,  not  far  below  the  surface, 
are  two  or  three  feet  thick,  are  simple  lignite  in  constitution, 
and  are  clearly  the  same  strata  exposed  in  the  Missouri  bad 
lands.  This  coal  is  still  considered  of  doubtful  value,  though 
industrious  and  enthusiastic  experimenters  in  the  United  States 
are  confident  that  they  can  contrive  some  form  of  furnace  in 
which  it  may  be  burned  successfully.  The  second  series  of  coal 
strata,  lying  many  feet  below  the  first,  is  of  a  greater  geologic 
age  and  more  substantial  character.  It  is  still  lignite,  but 
consoliilated   by  age  and   pressure,    like   the   cretaceous  coal  of 


I 


-» 


4^1 


Tin:    HIUTISll    NOinilWKST. 

ICilinontoii  and  Rrilisli  Coluinhia.     Mv  intuiinaiit,  Mr.  SI 


85 


uiw  ot 


tlic  I':ii<jiucfr  Corps,  made  personal  examination  of  one  of  tliese 
lower  Sonris  heds  lyin<;  near  the  level  of  the  river.  aiK  cnt 
thron^di  twelve  feet  of  it  hefore  reaching;  tiie  hottoni.  '{'he  coal 
lay  between  iiidnrated  clay  strata  resemhlin-,'  not  very  remotely 
the  shales  of  the  true  coal  measures.  'i"he  i:(lmonton  coal, 
which  this  .so  closely  rescml)les.  has  been  pronounced  hv  practical 
experimenters  well  suited  to  all  domestic  and  mannfacturin<,'- 
purposes.  It  is  not  unreasonable  to  suppose  that  tiie  S«)uris 
mines  will  be  promjjtly  developed,  when  tiie  railway  shall  have 
opened  a  [^ath  to  them,  and  that  the  coal,  beinj^-  distributed  over 
the  network  of  Canadian  Pacific  lines,  will  form  a  contribution 
of  incalculal 'e  value  to  the  treeless  regions  of  the  Northwestern 
phiius. 


\) 


